These blackberry muffins are the kind of thing you make when you want a rich, bakery-style muffin that's too good to be anything but homemade.

They come with a tender texture sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with nutmeg and vanilla, and topped with a nutty oatmeal streusel that's both crunchy and chewy. And, of course, they are packed with blackberries, which can be fresh or frozen.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Unlike these delicate raspberry muffins with their melt-in-your-mouth butter crumb topping, I wanted these blackberry muffins to have a little more weight and texture to them. They have a soft and tender crumb, but come with a crunchy, chewy, nutty brown sugar and oatmeal streusel.

They also contain plenty of warm, rich flavors - cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, vanilla, whole wheat flour, and oats - all of which provide a gorgeous background to all those bright, juicy blackberries.

And, by the way, if you like the idea of a little chocolate in your blackberry muffins (ok, a lot of chocolate), check out these chocolate blackberry muffins!

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Ingredient notes

• Whole wheat flour contains more flavor than all-purpose which is why I chose to use it in the brown sugar oatmeal streusel and in combination with all-purpose flour in the muffins. For alternatives, see the substitutions and additions section below
• Virgin coconut oil. I was first introduced to baking with virgin coconut oil in Bravetart by Stella Parks. I have since used it in several recipes including these soft and fluffy raspberry cupcakes and this orange poppy seed cake. Coconut oil magnifies the warm flavors in these muffins without making them taste like coconut. It also creates a more tender texture that stays moist for longer than if butter was used instead.
• Buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients to bake with. From coffee cake to everyday pancakes to the tallest and most flaky biscuits, buttermilk gives baked goods a tender texture and rich flavor. So using it in these muffins was a no brainer.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Recipe: Blackbery Streusel Muffins

For the Oatmeal Streusel:

• ¼ cup (53 grams) light or dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Lemon zest from one large lemon, about 1 tablespoon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, OR ¼ teaspoon table salt
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup (56 grams) old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) melted butter (salted or unsalted; I used salted)
• ⅓ cup (39 grams) chopped nuts (I used roasted and salted almonds that I pulsed in the food processor to chop)

For the Blackberry Muffins:

• 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
• ⅔ cup (76 grams) whole wheat flour
• ½ cup (106 grams) light or dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 grams) white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, OR 1 teaspoon table salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¾ cup virgin coconut oil (to measure, pack into a measuring cup with a spoon)
• ½ cup (114 grams) buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 10 ounces (about 1 ¾ cup) blackberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions

1. Make the streusel: Add all the ingredients except the nuts to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer (if using a stand mixer, fit with the paddle attachment) to blend on medium-low speed until all the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter. Use a spoon to stir in the chopped nuts. Scoop the streusel into a bowl, cover, and set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and fit a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. (Alternatively, grease and flour the inside of each muffin cup.)
3. Add both flours, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and coconut oil to a mixing bowl and beat on medium-low speed with an electric mixer (if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment) until the mixture looks like moist crumbs.
4. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and mix on low speed just until blended.
5. Add about a tablespoon of batter to the bottom of each muffin cup. Use the back of a spoon or your fingers to press the batter into the bottom of the cups; the batter will be quite thick. This will keep the blackberries from sinking all the way to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
6. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the blackberries into the remaining batter. Some of the blackberries will smash - this is ok, but try to be as gentle as you can be.
7. Distribute the batter among the baking cups; use a spoon or your fingers to press the batter into each cup. They will be filled all the way to the top of the paper liners, perhaps even slightly higher than the paper liners.
8. Use your fingers to top the muffins with streusel; Squeeze the streusel together to form clumps and press the clumps into the muffin batter. The streusel will create tall domes on the muffins (see photos above).
9. Bake in the center of the oven for 22 - 28 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins will come out without any evidence of raw batter.

Recipe notes

• Virgin coconut oil not refined and is solid at room temperature. To measure, use the back of a spoon or a small rubber spatula to press it into a measuring cup. Virgin coconut oil is richer than butter which gives these muffins a more tender texture and helps them stays moist for longer than if they were made with butter.
• No buttermilk? No problem. Here are 7 ways to make a terrific buttermilk substitute.
• The baking time for these muffins can vary significantly based on the blackberries themselves. If using frozen blackberries, the muffins will take longer to bake than if using fresh berries. The water content of the berries will also affect bake time. Just pay attention to the muffins as they bake and be patient if yours are taking longer than the time listed.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Additions and substitutions

First of all, you can of course substitute any kind of berries you like in here instead of, or in addition to, the blackberries. But, if what you're really craving is a blueberry muffin, for example, I've got you covered: Sour cream streusel blueberry muffins and Lemon blueberry muffins.

Or, perhaps these blueberry corn muffins sound like more your kind of thing.

Baking for someone who is gluten free? This is my favorite recipe for gluten free blueberry muffins.

Have more zucchini then you know what to do with? Toss it into these zucchini blueberry muffins which also come topped with an oatmeal streusel.

Or, maybe raspberry muffins are more your cup of tea? Raspberry muffins with crumb topping. (These do, by the way, go exceptionally well with a cup of tea.)

Can't decide which kind of berries you want? Not to worry. These mixed berry muffins will hit the spot.

If you're sticking with these blackberry muffins (excellent choice), here are some other ingredient substitutions that might come in handy:

• If you prefer, you can use only all-purpose flour for both the streusel and the muffins. Whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose so when swapping all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour in the streusel, use slightly less butter - 3 to 3 ½ tablespoons instead of 4 tablespoons. There's no need to change anything in the muffin batter if using all-purpose flour in place of the whole wheat.
• Instead of cinnamon in the streusel: If you're not a cinnamon fan, you can either leave it out altogether or replace it with a bit of cardamom or ginger. These spices are more potent, so use less - only about a ½ teaspoon.
• Use any kind of chopped nuts you like in this streusel. I used roasted, salted almonds because they are my favorite. But, raw or roasted walnuts, pecans, cashews, and macadamia nuts will all work well.
• No buttermilk? No problem. Here are 7 ways to make a terrific buttermilk substitute.

+ Subscribe to my newsletter, Let's Get Lost, for new and exclusive recipes in your in-box every month! As a full time traveler, living, working, cooking, and baking from a 5th wheel RV, it's also where I share our experiences of life on the road.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.