Whole Wheat Kefir Blueberry Muffins with Two Different Crumble Toppings

The other day I was craving blueberry muffins something fierce! I already had a killer recipe from America's Test Kitchen that used a lemon sugar glaze topping but since our new goal to eat more healthy, I decided to alter the recipe a tad. That fact alone plus the practically untouched bottle of unsweetened Kefir in our fridge (it was a purchase made out of pure desperation since they didn't have any other flavors left) lead to this magnificent muffin creation. As for the dual toppings, I have always been a fan of the classic lemon with fruit combo, I feel like it livens up the taste. Lewis prefers more subtle flavors like cinnamon so I decided to experiment with both.

When using whole wheat flour I find it necessary to mix at least a little white flour into the mix to prevent the product from becoming overly dense. These muffins turned out super moist and flavorful and made for a perfect breakfast coffee companion.

Whole Wheat Kefir Blueberry Muffins with Two Different Crumble Toppings

makes 8 large muffins

for the muffins...

1 cup all-purpose flour (reserve some to coat blueberries)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup kefir (you could use buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream instead)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries

for the crumble toppings...

1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup COLD butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tsp lemon zest

*I always coat my blueberries with a little bit of flour, this makes it incorporate more evenly into the dough

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2.Combine both kinds of flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix.

3.In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, crack egg then add enough plain kefir to fill to the 1 cup (8oz) line. Add vanilla.

4.Mix this with flour mixture. *Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, mix with fork. Split the topping in half and add cinnamon to one and lemon to the other. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done