Pastries + Muffins Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or lightly grease each cup.

Mix dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt until evenly combined.

Combine wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 cup milk, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.

Combine wet and dry

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula just until the flour is incorporated—do not overmix; a few lumps are fine. The batter should be thick but scoopable.

Prepare add-ins

If using blueberries, gently fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries. If using chocolate chips, fold in 3 tablespoons chocolate chips. If using chopped apple, toss 1 cup chopped apple with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (and 1 tablespoon lemon zest if using) before folding into batter. Fold add-ins briefly to avoid breaking delicate fruit and to prevent the batter from turning color.

Portion batter

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon for even portions.

Make streusel

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon cold cubed unsalted butter. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Top muffins

Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the filled muffin cups before baking.

Bake

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) (if your oven allows) and continue baking for 12–16 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. (If you do not reduce temperature, bake 18–22 minutes total.)

Cool

Remove muffins from the oven and let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.