• Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a standard-size 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with Wilton cake release; line a second muffin pan with 4 liners or spray with cake release (or bake in batches). This recipe makes 16 muffins.

Make the streusel

• Mix the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and gently mix with a fork or clean hands. Mix until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix into a paste. Just mix until it is crumbly. (It will seem like a lot of streusel, but you want it to cover the muffins. Place the crumb topping mixture in the refrigerator while you make the muffin batter. Cold, firm butter holds its shape better when baking.)
  7 tablespoons butter, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup brown sugar

Make the muffins

• In a large bowl, carefully combine the cake mix and cherry pie filling. (Stir gently until combined and don't over-mix. Over-mixing will result in tough muffins.)
  15.25 ounce cake mix, 21 ounce cherry pie filling
• Using a ¼-cup spring-release scoop, place ¼ cup of batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling them about ⅔ full. Spoon streusel over the muffins. Use the bottom of the spoon to gently tap the crumbs so they stick to the batter. (You don't want them completely pressed into the batter, just nicely adhered to it. Otherwise, it will fall off the sides as the muffins expand.)
• Bake for 24 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.