Raspberry Crumble Muffins

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (see note below)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh raspberry
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oatmeal, dry
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, cold

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 muffins: beat together the egg, milk, lemon zest and oil in a medium bowl.
• 3 mix together in a separate bowl the baking powder, sugar, 1.5 cups sifted flour and 1/2 t. salt. stir into the wet ingredients just until the dry ingredients are moist, about 8 rotations. add raspberries; stir about 2-3 more times.
• 4 fill muffin cups about 2/3 full.
• 5 streusel topping: stir together the remaining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and oatmeal. cut in with a pastry blender the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 6 sprinkle topping over each muffin.
• 7 bake 20-25 minutes. remove from pan immediately. makes about 12.
• 8 note: the key to making a truly tender muffin is in not overmixing your batter. stir it as little as possible. it's ok if the batter is somewhat unevenly mixed; it "corrects" itself in baking. sifting the dry ingredients lends to the light texture, so don't neglect this step, either. use either a traditional sifter, or a mesh strainer to sift your ingredients.
• 9 try a microplane grater for your lemon zest, or a messermeister zester/channel tool. i find these to be the easiest way to get fresh zest from citrus. use only the colorful exterior of the lemon-- the peel part adds only bitterness.