FRUIT EXPLOSION MUFFINS To Die For

This recipe is a slight variation on the one we discovered online called, To Die For Blueberry Muffins. We were searching for a recipe (or something close to it), of one of our favourite muffins we often buy at our local coffee shop - the fruit explosion muffin. The fruit explosion muffin contained various fruits and although this recipe is a blueberry muffin recipe, it looked promising, so we gave it a try.

It all started when we bought bags of frozen fruits that were on sale...

It was a good deal and seeing as it was winter time, being able to buy strawberries and pineapples and even mangoes at a premium was just something we couldn't pass up. 

Now we had all these bags of frozen fruits we had to use up. Most people would use them to make smoothies but we wanted to make desserts! 

Now this recipe didn't call for frozen fruits so we did a quick search to see if it was ok to use them and actually found a reviewer (on the site the original recipe came from) stating he too used frozen fruits but first coated it with flour. So we tried that.

Now enough blabbing, let's get on with the recipe already!

Recipe

Fruit Explosion Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose FLOUR
• 3/4 cup white SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 1/3 cup VEGETABLE OIL
• 1 EGG
• 1/3 cup MILK
• 1 cup fresh BLUEBERRIES* 

Crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup white SUGAR**
• 1/3 cup all-purpose FLOUR
• 1/4 cup BUTTER - cubed
• 1-1/2 tsp ground CINNAMON

*This is where we first altered the original recipe. We used frozen fruits of all kinds instead of fresh blueberries.

** Second change came here. Brown sugar was used instead of white sugar. (See tips at the end to get the alternative brown sugar crumb topping recipe.) 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease muffin cups or line with liners.
2. Combine flour, cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1-cup measuring cup, add egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries (or in our case, the frozen fruits slightly coated with flour).
3. Fill muffin batter to the top.
4. Finally, the crumb topping. Mix all ingredients together then use a fork to crumble it. Sprinkle topping over muffins then stick those babies in the oven and watch them rise.

(Original Recipe(s): To Die For Blueberry Muffins)

We have to add here that by the time we were done pouring in all the muffin batter mix, the liquid from the frozen fruits' were already seeping into the batter - especially from the blueberries.

So whether coating the frozen fruits with flour helped or not, we can't really say. Maybe it could have been even worse if we hadn't coated them? Either way, it didn't seem to affect the flavour or texture of the muffin so it was all good.

The first time around we were a bit cheap on the crumbs. We should have added more. They looked terrible:

So the second time around we added a bit more:

Now we're talking! That's better...

My partner preferred the muffins with less crumb topping, I preferred them with more. In the end, it's all up to you!

• Use buttermilk in place of milk
• Alternative crumb topping using brown sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter
• If using frozen berries or fruits, toss them in flour to coat them lightly to prevent juices from bleeding into batter.