Coffee Ice-Cream Muffins

 
I like these pumpkin ice-cream muffins so much, but my local store hasn't been carrying the flavor for a couple years, so I decided to try with another flavor.

For 4 muffins:

3/4 cup Trader Joe's Coffee Blast ice cream (or other intensely coffee or chocolate ice cream)
1/4 cup white flour
5 tablespoons whole wheat flour (or 1.5 - 2 tablespoons coffee flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Streusel
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons white flour
1½ teaspoons salted butter
4 dash spoons (heaping 1/4 teaspoon) powdered coffee
2 teaspoons cocoa nibs

Allow the ice cream to sit out in a medium-sized bowl until it's nearly melted. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease 8 muffin tins. (I prefer to use silicone liners.) Sift the flours, salt, and baking powder together and add to the softened ice cream; mix thoroughly. Scoop the batter into the tins.  Sprinkle with cocoa nibs and the streusel, and bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

This streusel topping wasn't what I'd wanted.  I was trying to make the firm, slightly crunchy kind that often tops berry muffins, and that's evidently the recipe I should have used.  I used the recipe from a steusel coffee cake, but when it seemed too buttery I added more flour.  Still, while tasty, it melted and made only a thin topping.  It didn't do much for appearance and just wasn't what I'd wanted.

Conclusion:  These weren't as good as I'd hoped.  They were actually fairly bland, with the coffee flavor coming predominantly from the topping.  I could also really taste the whole wheat, which wasn't good in a cakey muffin.  (Although only really noticeable when I tried just the bottom part with no topping.)  I would not make these again as is.  I'd be willing to give it another shot adding almond flavoring to the batter and sliced almonds to the topping.