Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins with Struesel Topping

I've been eying these muffins for quite some time and I finally made them this weekend when I was looking for a way to use up some of the buttermilk I had sitting in my fridge from when I made the Spice Cake for Alison's birthday last week.

The muffin itself has a slightly sweet and subtle cinnamon flavor and bakes up with a moist, tender and fluffy crumb, thanks to the buttermilk. This is a nice contrast to the sweet brown sugar and cinnamon streusel that gives the muffins a crisp and sweet top. Without the topping, the subtle flavor of the muffin would be lost and the muffin might even be considered too plain.

The original recipe for this muffin, from Williams Sonoma, calls for dipping the muffins in melted butter and then in a cinnamon sugar topping. I would be interested in trying it this way, as I imagine both the look and the taste of them would be a lot like those yummy cinnamon sugar doughnuts.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins
(Source: Bakingblonde's Weblog)

For the muffins:
7 Tbsp butter

2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Struesel:
2 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, softened

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 6 jumbo muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

2. To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.

3. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

5. To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or forks until mixture resembles cornmeal. Gently sprinkle topping evenly over batter in prepared muffin tin. Gently press down topping slightly.

6. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25-27 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Makes 6 Jumbo Muffins (or 9 regular muffins)