Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins

These Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins are very tender and moist, filled with raspberries and a swirl of raspberry jam, and then topped with streusel. I made my own raspberry jam to fill these muffins, but jarred jam would work just as well. What's so cool is that you can use either frozen or fresh raspberries, so you can have these muffins any season.


The tops of these muffins kind of bring to mind an old Seinfeld episode. Does anyone remember "top of the muffin to you!"? If you'd like a smaller muffin top, make twelve muffins instead of the ten that the recipe calls for.

I'm also pretty excited about the streusel topping. I tried making one before, for this berry focaccia, and wasn't that thrilled. The streusel on these muffins is just right, and adds just the right amount of crunch to the tops of the muffins. It will definitely be my go-to recipe for any streusel emergency.

I am so happy with the base recipe for these muffins, and can see adding any kind of fresh fruit (blackberries, peaches, strawberries, apricots, apples, cherries, for example) to it to make a delicious, fluffy, and light muffin. This amazing batter includes fresh orange juice and orange zest, which you don't really notice, but add just a hint of citrus, without overwhelming the flavor. It's pretty tasty.

After the recipe, check out the rest of the fabulous muffins created by the #MuffinMonday participants.

Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins

Recipe adapted from the wonderful Sarabeth's Bakery cookbook and the May/June, 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated. 

Makes 10 muffins (or 12, see note above about the tops of the muffins)

Ingredients

Streusel

6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 tsp vanilla

Raspberry Jam

1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

1 tsp sugar

Muffins

1 large orange

2/3 cup corn oil

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk

2 large room temperature eggs

2 1/4 cups (9 3/4 ounces) bread flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar, pushed through a strainer to remove any lumps

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, cut in half

Raspberry jam

Streusel

Instructions

To make the streusel

1. Mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla with a spoon.
2. With your fingers, pinch the mixture until crumbly. 

To make the jam

1. Add the berries and sugar to a nonstick sauce pan. 
2. Heat over medium low heat and smash the ingredients with a spoon or a muddler. Simmer for about five minutes, until you have 1/4 cup of jam. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To Make the Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the center.
2. Butter the cavities and top of a 12 cavity muffin pan. 
3. Grate the zest from the orange and add it to a medium bowl. Juice the orange to produce 1/3 cup of juice and add it to the zest. 
4. Add the oil, milk, and eggs to the medium bowl with the zest and juice and whisk. 
5. In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together. 
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Fold in the raspberries.
7. Scoop the batter into the cavities of a muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure. 
8. With a small spoon, push a teaspoon of the jam into the center of each muffin. Stir the muffin with a skewer or chopstick in two or three figure eights to create a swirl of jam inside the muffins. 
9. Generously sprinkle the muffins with the streusel. 
10. Bake the muffins for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for another 13 to 15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. If your berries were frozen, allow a couple more minutes. 
11. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. 
12. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack. 

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

• Asian Pear & Cardamom Cream Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Onion Brie Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Triple Dark Chocolate Muffins from The Spiced Life
• Whole Wheat Apple Rum and Raisin Muffins from Passion Kneaded