Blackberry Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

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!

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• Ingredient notes
• Additions and substitutions
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• How to store and freeze these muffins
• More berry good recipes
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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.

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.

Want to scrap everything but the oatmeal? You won't be disappointed by these Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies!

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.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Time to bake!

Pro tip! 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.

How to store and freeze these muffins

Keep these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to wrap each one separately in plastic wrap and then pile them into a zip-top freezer bag or other air tight container. Wrapping them individually is a good barrier against freezer burn and makes it easy to remove only as many muffins as you want whenever you want them.

Also, the oatmeal streusel for these muffins will keep well in the refrigerator for at least a week or frozen for up to 3 months. So, if you think you'll use it again in the somewhat near future, you might consider making extra.

More berry good recipes

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate this recipe. Happy Baking!