These muffins have the crispest crust when baked in old-fashioned cast-iron muffin pans, but they’re still very good when made in the modern standard muffin tins.
1. Grease your muffin pan(s) very thoroughly. Set cast-iron ones in the oven while it is heating. If you are not using cast iron, just set the greased pan(s) aside. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon or nutmeg and set it aside to use as topping.
2. While the oven is heating, sift the flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl beat the egg, then add the milk and melted butter. When oven is ready, add liquid to dry ingredients all at once and stir briefly, just until all of the flour has been moistened.
3. Divide about a third of the batter between the wells of your (hot) muffin pan(s). Stir the berries into the remaining batter and use it to finish filling the wells.
4. Sprinkle the muffins with the spiced sugar, then bake until well browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve at once.
