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Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies are covered in streusel and drizzled with a lemon glaze. They’re perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a midday snack. Recipe contains a gluten-free option.
These are among my favorite cookies ever. I only make them for special occasions because unless they’re destined for a birthday party, BBQ or something else, I eat one after another until I feel sick or they’re all gone. I know this from experience.
I’m normally only interested in chewy cookies. Cakey and soft cookies just aren’t my thing. These cookies are definitely an exception! They’re soft, but not cakey, and they really are just like a blueberry muffin top.
With the added streusel and lemon glaze, these Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies become dangerously addictive. You could omit the glaze but I don’t recommend skipping the streusel! It’s what makes these cookies so special.
Covering the dough balls in the streusel can be a little messy. The streusel doesn’t want to stay put so you really have to pat it on. Once you taste these cookies, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they’re so worth that minor annoyance!
One other thing you have to be careful about is adding the blueberries. You can’t mix them into the dough using a hand mixer or a spoon. You have to use your hands to incorporate them into the dough to ensure that they don’t break. It’s not a huge deal if a few do – it’ll just color parts of the dough blue.
I’ve only used blueberries in these cookies and I’m not very optimistic about using other types of fruit. Fresh raspberries could work as long as they’re quite firm and not super fragile.
I think cut strawberries, peaches and other fruit would make the dough too wet, which would contribute to soggy and perhaps cakey cookies. If you decide to experiment, let us know in the comments how it goes!
One thing you could play around with is the type of extract and zest. I think an orange or lime version would be great, as would a version using almond extract.
Like I mentioned in these berry cookies cups, I do love my almond flavored goodies! It just pairs so well with fruit.
For another blueberry-filled treat that also tastes just like a blueberry muffin, try this blueberry coffee cake. And for something different, this creamy blueberry cream cheese pie is sure to be a hit!
Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour mix*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
For the streusel:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour mix*
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
* If you need these cookies to be gluten-free, make sure all your ingredients are certified gluten-free. For the gluten-free mix, use the following mixture in the dough:
- 2 cups rice flour
- ⅔ cup potato starch
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour / starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
And this in the streusel:
- ½ cup rice flour
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons potato starch
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tapioca flour / starch
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Prepare the cookie dough. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract.
- Add the eggs, one by one and beat until thoroughly combined. It may appear curdled.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low just until the dough comes together.
- Pour the blueberries on top and use your hands to gently incorporate them into the dough.
- Prepare the streusel by mixing together all streusel ingredients in a small bowl.
- Roll the dough into 2" balls and roll the top and sides of each ball in the streusel. It won’t stick very well so pat more streusel on top of each ball.
- Place on the prepared cookie sheet about 3" apart. It’s okay if some streusel falls off the cookies.
- Bake the all-purpose version for 13-16 minutes and the gluten-free version for 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt.
- Add additional lemon juice to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Could you use frozen blueberries if you drain them well and pat dry a little?
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. The frozen blueberries might not hold up as well when you add them to the batter. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hey. I hope you are well.
These were absolutely fun to make.
Everyone loved them.. the only thing I found was that the cookies softened way too much for my liking after 24 hours.. is that normal?
So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Halima. They definitely soften up a bit. You can try to pop them into the toaster oven to firm them up a bit.
-Jamie
These I love this recipe !!!!! Although I have to make them and send them to the office with my husband. Otherwise I can’t stay out of them !!!!! ✌❤
Lorri-
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the muffin top cookies! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
I really want to make these ahead of time for a book club meeting. Will they freeze well? Thanks!
Chris-
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I think they’ll be totally fine. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
I made these with orange juice, zest and 1 1/2 c. grated carrots instead of the blueberries and it was a big hit.
That combo sounds delicious! Thanks so much for stopping by!
If I make these without the blueberries do I need to sub in another ingredient or will the texture be the same without them you think? I’m trying to copy a lemon muffin top cookie and the ones online don’t come close. So I was thinking I could just alter this one and come closer to the texture. Thanks for your help!
Jennifer-
Hello! I haven’t tried them without the blueberries, but I’m thinking they will be just fine. Let me know how it goes.
-Jamie
Hi, i need this recipe in grams is it possible?
Hi, Anna! Give this calculator I try. I hope this helps!
These are delicious!
So happy you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment.
I made these with orange in place of the lemon and dried cranberries instead of the blueberries in an attempt to copy an orange cranberry muffin from Panera that is no longer in season. They turned out great! Super yummy and very close to the ones Panera makes. Bit hit!
I’ll have to try your cranberry orange version soon! It sounds delicious. Thanks for your feedback! I’m so happy that they were a hit.
It’s raining in Southern California, so I decided to try your cookies. The cookies are so good with the blueberries and lemon. Yummy! Thanks for posting your recipe.
You’re very welcome, Sherre! I’m glad you enjoyed them.