Bumble Berry Muffins

(Morning Muffin)

Whether you decide to eat these for breakfast or a snack, you can't deny the sweet berry taste.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons	unsalted butter
2 tablespoons	all purpose flour
1/2 cup	brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ cup	pecans, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon	cinnamon
1 teaspoon	pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups	brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup	unsalted butter
2 ½ teaspoons	pure vanilla extract
2	eggs
1 teaspoon	lemon juice
4 ½ - 5 cups	all-purpose flour, approximately
1/2 teaspoon	salt
1 teaspoon	baking soda
4 teaspoons	baking powder
¼ teaspoon	cinnamon
¼ teaspoon	cloves
1 1/2 cups	buttermilk, or more
3 cups	semi-frozen berries, any combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and coarsely ground cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Arrange oven rack to highest position or position in to be in the upper third of the oven.

Spray 12 -16 large muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and line with paper muffin liners. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put muffin tins on it.

For the Streusel Topping, in a medium bowl, or food processor, blend the butter and the flour, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and pulse to make a coarse topping. Set aside.

In large bowl blend the sugar with the melted butter. Briskly whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves, holding back a cup of the flour, and blend somewhat before blending in the buttermilk. Batter should be quite thick; if not, add in more of the flour (but when you add in the frozen fruit, batter will firm up so wait to see if you need more flour and then add in a tablespoon at a time). Gently fold in the berries, trying not to break them apart.

Using a large ice-cream scoop, deposit batter into prepared muffin cups, loading them as much as you can. If the batter does not stay put, you need to add more flour (so, add more flour to the rest of the batter before scooping). You need almost a scoop and a half of batter. Deposit tops of muffins with equal amounts of topping. If some falls off, just gently put it back on.

Bake 20 minutes at 425 F and then reduce temperature to 375 F and bake until muffins spring back when gently touched with fingertips about 12 more minutes and muffins are golden brown.

Dust with confectioners' sugar

Makes 12-16 large muffins.