Cracklin’ Oat Bran Blueberry Crunch Muffins

While I’d never turn down a homemade blueberry muffin of any kind, I yearned for the longest time to recreate the muffins I found in my favorite coffee shops and bakeries: big and buttery with lots of fruit and a tender crumb.

During my quest, I discovered that adding crushed Cracklin’ Oat Bran cereal to the batter itself allows it to stand up to the moisture content of the berries, resulting in a hearty, balanced texture.

A second addition of Cracklin’ Oat Bran to the streusel topping gives the muffins an irresistible crunch and an extra pop of sweet, toasted oat flavor, reminiscent of oatmeal cookies. It’s a great way to reinvent and combine two breakfast classics—muffins and cereal—with ingredients that are always easy to find at your local ACME Market.

A couple of general tips for achieving bakery-style muffins at home: First, toss the blueberries with a little bit of flour before folding into the batter so they’re well distributed and don’t sink to the bottom of the muffin tins.

Second, avoid over-mixing the batter. Seeing a few small streaks of flour is ok! Too much mixing will result in a tough crumb when baked.

Third, whether you’re using standard or jumbo muffin tins (instructions for both are in the recipe; I used jumbo here), fill the wells almost to the top with batter to create gorgeous, crowned tops.

Lastly, don’t over-bake. For the best texture, muffins should be removed from the oven when the tops are golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, not totally clean.

Cracklin’ Oat Bran Blueberry Crunch Muffins are a cinch to make and a fun way to get the whole family involved in creating special breakfast memories. With adult supervision, kids can help to crush the cereal with a rolling pin, mix the batter, and fill the muffin tins. There are no mixers required; just a whisk and a wooden spoon.

Plus, the aroma of these baking is absolutely heavenly and guaranteed to tempt even the sleepiest of family members or house guests out of bed!

Love cereal and want to explore new ways to reinvent your family’s favorites in your kitchen? Please visit this website for more inspiration for creative breakfast and snack creations. 

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Cracklin' Oat Bran Blueberry Crunch Muffins

Bursting with berries, these large, bakery-style Blueberry Crunch Muffins have Cracklin' Oat Bran stirred into the batter and buttery streusel topping.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 standard or 6 jumbo muffins

Calories: 376 kcal

Author: Striped Spatula

Ingredients

STREUSEL CRUNCH TOPPING

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• pinch kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons lightly-packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup crushed Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

MUFFINS

• 1-1/2 cups blueberries
• 2-1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour , divided
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup crushed Cracklin' Oat Bran Cereal

GLAZE

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

MAKE THE STREUSEL

1. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and crushed cereal. Add melted butter and stir until combined and crumbly. Set aside.

MAKE THE MUFFINS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with rack in lower middle position. Grease the cups of a standard, 12-well, or jumbo, 6-well, muffin tin, or line with papers.
2. In a small bowl, toss together blueberries and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, eggs, butter, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well-combined. Stir dry ingredients into wet until almost combined (a few streaks of flour are ok; for a tender crumb, don't over-mix). Gently fold in blueberries and crushed cereal. Divide batter evenly between the wells of the prepared tin, filling each almost to the top for crowned, bakery-style muffins. Sprinkle streusel over batter, pressing gently to adhere.
3. Bake muffins until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with only a few crumbs, 20-25 minutes for standard muffins, 30 minutes for jumbo. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes, and then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

MAKE THE GLAZE

1. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, honey, and milk. Drizzle over cooled muffins and serve.

Recipe Notes

Tip: To easily crush cereal, pulse in a food processor, or place in a plastic food storage bag and crush with a rolling pin

Have you made this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!