Blackberry, Lemon and Thyme Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Cake Flour (Divided)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
• 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Blackberries
• 1 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 2 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme (Chopped )
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder (Divided Into 1/2 And 1 Teaspoon)
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (Divided Into 1/2 And 1 Teaspoon)
• 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Cut Into 1/4-Inch Cubes)
• 1 Large Egg Yolk
• 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (Plus 2 Tablespoons)
• 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
• 2 Large Eggs

Directions

1. Make the crumble first. Crumble can be made up to 3 days in advance. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of cake flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add chilled butter and mix until pea sized lumps form. Stir in the egg yolk then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Once you are ready to start the muffins, preheat oven to 325 F and line cup molds with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of cake flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
3. Beat the room temperature butter about 2 minutes then add 1 cup of sugar and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the 2 large eggs and vanilla extract then slowly beat into butter mixture. Continue beating for 3-4 minutes. In another small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and lemon zest then slowly add to the butter mixture. Add in the dry ingredients you prepared in the medium bowl earlier and beat just enough to blend.
4. In a small bowl, mix the blackberries, 1 teaspoon of thyme and 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour until well combined. Combine this mixture with the batter while gently crushing the blackberries to release the juice.
5. Place 1/3 cup of the batter into each muffin mold then top with 1 tablespoon of the crumble. Bake for 40 minutes then let cool in pan for at least 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm.