Make These Bakery-Style Muffins with the Dreamiest Latte Crumble Topping

1. Prepare Crumble Topper, if using. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. In a large bowl stir together next five ingredients (through salt). Make a well in center of flour mixture.

2. In a medium bowl combine egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Gently fold fruit into batter. Fill prepared muffin cups using a generous 1/4 cup batter per cup (cups will be full) If using, sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons Crumble Topper.

   Test Kitchen Tip: If using frozen fruit, measure from the frozen state. If fruit is in large pieces, thaw slightly and chop while still icy. Fold into batter as directed above.

3. Bake 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve warm. Cool completely before storing.

Crumble Topper

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, walnuts, melted butter, and salt. Stir until combined and crumbly.

2. Spread topper in a resealable 1 gallon plastic bag. Label, seal and freeze flat, 1 to 2 hours (it will be easier to crumble to use if it is first frozen flat. Once frozen, you can store it upright).

3. To use, preheat oven to 425°F. prepare desired muffin batter from scratch or a mix. Portion batter into greased or paper bake cup-lined 2 1/2-inch muffin cups. Crumble 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. topper atop each portion. Bake 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake 10 to 12 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in muffin cups for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups and cool completely on a wire rack.

Latte-Inspired Crumble Toppers

This customizable, freezer-friendly crumble recipe draws on buzzy coffeehouse drink orders. Follow the Basic Crumble Topper recipe and instructions above, then follow one of these variations:

Vanilla Latte Crumble

Prepare as directed, except stir 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract in with melted butter. Then 3 oz. grated white chocolate and 1 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee powder to crumble mixture.

Brown Sugar Oat Crumble

Reduce flour to 1/2 cup. Add 1/2 cup regular rolled oats. Replace granulated sugar with packed brown sugar. Add 1 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee powder and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. to the crumble mixture.

Cherry Chai

Add 1/3 cup snipped dried sweet or tart cherries and 1 Tbsp. unsweetened chai spice blend.

For Jumbo Muffins

Grease six 3 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. Preheat oven and prepare batter as directed. Fill prepared muffin cups using a scant 1/2 cup batter per cup. Top each with 3 to 4 Tbsp. Crumble Topper, if using. Bake 8 minutes at 425ºF. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF; bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. (If necessary, cover with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.)

How to Store Muffins

Place cooled muffins in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container. Store at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature before serving. To reheat, wrap muffins in foil. Place in 350°F oven 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.