Baking

Blueberry Cruffins: Croissant + Muffin = Cruffin

2 min

Toss the blueberries with the cornstarch and lemon zest before anything else, because that thin slurry is what keeps the juice from soaking into the pastry and turning the centers gummy. I work fast once the puff pastry is out of the freezer, brushing on the melted butter and scattering the brown sugar while the sheets are still cool and stiff. Roll each one into a tight log, cut into three, and stand the pinwheels up in the muffin cups so the layers fan open as they bake. The coarse sugar coating goes on while they're still warm, so it sticks.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

The cruffin took off around 2013, when Melbourne baker Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie started selling a croissant-muffin hybrid, and the idea spread fast through cafe culture and food blogs. A San Francisco bakery later trademarked the name in the US, which is partly why so many home versions, like this one, lean on puff pastry instead of laminating dough from scratch.

A cruffin is what happens when a croissant and a muffin fall in love.

Flaky, buttery layers. Juicy blueberries. Crispy sugar top. All in a muffin tin. No laminating. No rolling. Just puff pastry and magic. 40 minutes.

Makes 6 cruffins.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1 1

Preheat and Prep

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 6-cup muffin tin.

In a bowl, toss blueberries with ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest.

2 2

Roll and Fill Pastry

Roll each puff pastry sheet slightly into a 10×12-inch rectangle.

Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (if using).

Scatter blueberry mixture evenly over both sheets.

3 3

Roll and Cut

Roll each sheet tightly into a log. Slice each log into 3 equal pieces.

Place each piece cut-side up into a muffin cup.

4 4

Bake

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

5 5

Coat and Serve

Mix granulated and coarse sugar. Roll warm cruffins in sugar.

Serve warm. Watch them disappear.

Summary

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20-25 minutes | Total Time: 35-40 minutes

Yield: 6 cruffins

Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Best Fresh:

Cruffins are best the day they’re made. Reheat to restore crispiness.

Reheat:

Oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes. Microwave for 15 seconds but less crispy.

Pro Tip:

Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. Less bleeding into the dough.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

20-25 minutes

Total

35-40 minutes

Yield

6 cruffins

Ingredients

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (thawed)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (don’t thaw if frozen)
¼ cup granulated sugar (for filling)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

For Topping:

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp coarse sugar (turbinado)

Instructions

1
Preheat and Prep. Preheat and Prep. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 6-cup muffin tin. In a bowl, toss blueberries with ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. 2 2
2
Roll and Fill Pastry. Roll and Fill Pastry. Roll each puff pastry sheet slightly into a 10×12-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (if using). Scatter blueberry mixture evenly over both sheets. 3 3
3
Roll and Cut. Roll and Cut. Roll each sheet tightly into a log. Slice each log into 3 equal pieces. Place each piece cut-side up into a muffin cup. 4 4
4
Bake. Bake. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. 5 5
5
Coat and Serve. Coat and Serve. Mix granulated and coarse sugar. Roll warm cruffins in sugar. Serve warm. Watch them disappear
6
Best Fresh:. Best Fresh:. Cruffins are best the day they’re made. Reheat to restore crispiness
7
Reheat:. Reheat:. Oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes. Microwave for 15 seconds but less crispy
8
Pro Tip:. Pro Tip:. Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. Less bleeding into the dough

Swaps & Substitutions

Puff pastry → all-butter puff browns better than vegetable-shortening brands; if you only have crescent roll dough it works but the layers stay softer and less flaky
Fresh blueberries → use frozen straight from the freezer, do not thaw, since they bleed far less into the dough
Unsalted butter → salted butter is fine, just skip any pinch of salt and the flavor reads a touch saltier against the sweet sugar coating
Lemon zest → orange zest or a few drops of vanilla both work; in a pinch leave it out, though the filling tastes flatter
Cornstarch → arrowroot or even all-purpose flour thickens the juice, flour just needs the full bake to lose its raw taste
Turbinado topping → regular granulated sugar still gives a sweet crust, you just lose the crunch the coarse crystals give

Questions & Answers

Why did mine come out soggy in the middle?

Usually too much blueberry juice. Toss the berries with the cornstarch and zest right before assembling, and if you're using frozen, keep them frozen until they hit the pastry so they release less liquid.

Can I make these ahead?

They're best within a few hours of baking while the layers are still crisp. You can assemble the filled, cut pinwheels in the tin and refrigerate overnight, then bake straight from the fridge, adding a couple of minutes.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep them loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days. Reheat in a 325F oven for about 5 minutes to bring back some crispness; the microwave makes them rubbery.

How do I know they're done?

The tops should be deep golden and you'll see the blueberry filling bubbling at the edges. Pale pastry means underbaked and a doughy center, so give it the full 20 to 25 minutes.

Why did the sugar coating slide off?

The cruffins cooled too much before coating. Roll them in the sugar mix while they're still warm so it sticks to the surface butter instead of sitting loose.

Blueberry Cruffins: Croissant + Muffin = Cruffin