Lemon Blueberry Muffin
intro
Tender, bright quick-bread muffins bursting with juicy summer blueberries and zingy lemon, topped with a crisp sugar crust for a portable, sweet bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and tin
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine 240g all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening, then scoop 1 tbsp of this flour mixture into a small bowl with the 180g blueberries, tossing to fully coat the berries to prevent sinking during baking.
Mix wet batter base
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 150g granulated sugar and 2 tbsp lemon zest, rubbing the mixture between your fingers or whisking for 1 minute until the sugar turns pale yellow and smells strongly of lemon. Add 2 room-temperature large eggs, whisking until smooth, then stir in 57g cooled melted butter, 180ml whole milk, 45ml fresh lemon juice, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until fully combined with no egg streaks.
Fold in blueberries
Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold the batter together in 10-12 gentle, broad strokes, stopping as soon as no dry flour streaks remain (the batter will be lumpy—overmixing creates tough, dense muffins). Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries in 2-3 extra strokes, taking care not to crush the berries and release purple juice into the batter.
Portion batter into tin
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each paper liner 3/4 full (roughly 1/3 cup of batter per cup). Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of coarse sanding sugar over the top of each portion of batter to create a crisp, sparkling sweet crust as the muffins bake.
Bake the muffins
Place the filled muffin tin on the middle rack of the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven and bake for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F) and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes. Muffins are done when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the tallest muffin comes out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, no wet batter.
Cool muffins properly
Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the muffins rest in the hot tin for 5 minutes to set, then carefully transfer each muffin to a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 more minutes before serving. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tips
2.Coating blueberries in a thin layer of flour before folding them into the batter keeps them evenly suspended instead of sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups during baking.
3.The initial 5-minute high-heat bake creates the signature tall, domed muffin top; avoid opening the oven door during this period to prevent temperature drops that deflate rising batter.
OMG these are SO good! I made them for my kids’ weekday breakfast meal prep this week and they gobbled them up before I even packed the rest in the fridge. I used frozen blueberries because that’s all I had on hand, and they still turned out perfectly moist, no soggy bottoms at all! 10/10 will make again for our next playdate potluck.
Game changer! I brought these on a day hike with my friends last weekend and everyone was begging for the recipe. The lemon zest adds such a bright pop that doesn’t get overpowered by the blueberries, and they stayed moist even after being stuffed in my backpack for 4 hours. Only note: I added a tiny extra drizzle of lemon glaze on top because I’m obsessed with lemon, no regrets.
Super easy recipe even for someone who burns toast 90% of the time! I’ve been scared to bake muffins from scratch because they always turn out dry and crumbly, but these were perfectly moist right out of the oven. My roommate ate three in one sitting lmao.
Made these for my office potluck yesterday and they were the first thing gone! I was worried they’d be too sweet for some of my coworkers who cut back on sugar, but the balance of tart lemon and sweet blueberry was perfect. Got three requests for the recipe before I even left the break room.
I made these last weekend for family brunch and they were incredible, but I need to make a GF version for my cousin’s celiac kiddo next weekend — has anyone tested these with 1:1 gluten free flour? Would love to know if they hold up!
These are my new go-to Sunday meal prep staple! They stay moist in an airtight container in the fridge for a full week, which saves me so much time on busy work mornings. I skip the extra sugar on top and they’re still perfectly sweet, even for my non-sweet-tooth self. 10/10, easy, fast, delicious.
I was so nervous to make these because I’m literally 16 and this is the first thing I’ve ever baked completely by myself for my mom’s birthday breakfast. They turned out AMAZING? My mom cried a little when she tried them, said they were better than the bakery muffins she buys every Saturday. I’m so happy!!!
Wow, the cook time is so short for how good these taste! I was able to throw the batter together while my oven preheated, and 20 minutes of bake time later (total time for me was 35 minutes not 40? Maybe my oven runs hot) I had perfect, fluffy muffins. The sour cream in the batter is what makes them so moist, I swear, I’ll never make another blueberry muffin recipe without it.
These pair so well with my morning iced latte it’s ridiculous. I made a batch last night and had one for breakfast today, the lemon flavor is so bright it actually woke me up better than my first sip of coffee lmao. I added a handful of white chocolate chips to half the batch for my partner who loves extra sweet treats, and he said those were the best muffins he’s ever had. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation.