Equipment
Ingredients
Hidden Crumb Layer
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 5 g ground cinnamon
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 1 g salt
Browned Butter Batter
- 115 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 120 g sour cream, room temperature
- 60 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 210 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 2 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Melt the 115g of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, cooking until the milk solids toast and smell nutty, then immediately transfer to a mixing bowl to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Mix the melted 60g of butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl until large crumbs form.
Press exactly one tablespoon of the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of each prepared paper liner to form a solid base layer.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl to ensure the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
Whisk the cooled browned butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth.
Fold the dry flour mixture into the wet sour cream mixture using a rubber spatula just until combined, leaving a few small lumps.
Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, scooping it directly over the pressed crumb layers until each cup is nearly full.
Bake in the preheated oven at 190C (375F) for 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before gently transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- Browning butter evaporates its water content, concentrating the fat and transforming the milk solids. Always let it cool completely before using to prevent scrambling your eggs and melting your sugars prematurely.
- Sour cream acts as a phenomenal tenderizer in this recipe. Its natural acidity reacts beautifully with the baking soda to create lift, while its high fat content delivers a moist crumb without excessively thinning the batter.
- Baking at a slightly higher initial temperature, then optionally dropping it, helps create high muffin domes. This recipe uses a steady 190C to ensure the heavy crumb bottom cooks through without burning the top.
- Placing the streusel crumb on the bottom rather than the top offers an unexpected textural contrast and protects the buttery crunch from ambient moisture, keeping them fresher for longer.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Reheating: Thaw at room temperature, then warm in a 150C/300F oven for 5 minutes or microwave for 15 seconds.
