Buttermilk Muffins 

                                             'Lawsuit' Buttermilk Muffins  If I am out of fresh buttermilk, I rely on Saco Buttermilk                                                                                                                 Powder for this and other buttermilk-based recipes.
Streusel top:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown or white sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Muffin batter:
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar - packed firmly
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon citrus zest - finely minced
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
2 1/2 cups - 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped fruit(see below) - lightly packed  Streusel:
I make this recipe quite frequently and therefore always have extra streusel topping on hand.
Quadruple the recipe (using a food processor for this larger batch)
and store in a container in the freezer. For longer lasting streusel, substitute unsalted margarine.
   Prepare citrus zest and streusel and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
  In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, citrus zest and egg.
Do not overbeat, mixture should be pasty. Blend in the vanilla and buttermilk.
  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
Blend gently into batter. When halfway blended, fold in fruit.
Sometimes the use of frozen fruit will help "firm" up the batter.
If not, and batter seems too gloppy add a few more tablespoons
of flour (up to four) to make batter a bit stiffer.   Scoop into paper-lined muffin tins.
Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin. Bake 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F.
and bake until done - 12-15 minutes. Muffins should spring back when pressed lightly.
Leave muffins in pan for 5 minutes before removing.  

Fruit options:  Rhubarb, fresh or frozen, diced Cranberries, coarsely chopped Blueberries Apples - diced Bananas, firm, small chunks (add a pinch of nutmeg) Frozen raspberries Frozen strawberries (cut in chunks) Dried sour cherries, cranberries Strawberry and rhubarb combination Apple cranberry combination Rhubarb and apple  For delicate, highly colored fruit like raspberries, cranberries or blueberries, use semi-frozen fruit to preserve the berries and prevent batter discoloration.                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -