Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

My mum loves these muffins. I can understand why: they're crunchy and sweet on top, fluffy with that wonderful brown butter flavour in the middle and studded with juicy blueberries. They're definitely the best blueberry muffin I've ever made or tasted.

I found these on Joy the Baker's wonderful site over a year ago. They were one of the first recipes I converted from American measures and coming back to it now, I realise that I didn't get the transition quite right. I've put my updated recipe below.



Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins
(Adapted from Joy the Baker, recipe here)

For the muffin mix:
55g unsalted butter
50g milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
90g plain flour
85g caster sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of fine sea salt
150g blueberries

For the crumble topping:
25g unsalted butter
30g plain flour
35g caster sugar
pinch of fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Put muffin liners in a muffin tin. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Keep heating it over medium heat until it has foamed up and brown bits have appeared and it smells nutty and delicious. Make sure you keep an eye on it as it happens - it takes a while but can burn quickly. Take off the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.

Weigh the topping ingredients into a small bowl. Rub together until you have a crumbly mixture.

Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla together, then add the brown butter and whisk again. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl and combine. Pour the liquids into the bowl and fold in until just combined then fold the blueberries in. Spoon out into the muffin cups. Divide the topping between the muffins.

Put into the oven and bake for around 20-22 minutes, until they are lightly browned and a tester/skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack until just warm before eating.

(Makes 6 muffins, easily doubled)

Updated 30/11/16 - I've rewritten the recipe to one I made today, with half the mixture, a few more blueberries and minus the awkward egg yolk.