Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Growing up, it was always a special treat when mom gave into our pleas for then Price Club (now Costco), oversized, soft cakey blueberry muffins. Today, it’s a special treat for Patrick when I give into his pleas for Costco oversized, soft, cakey blueberry muffins. Everyone has their idea of a perfect blueberry muffin. To me, I like the soft cakiness of the Costco blueberry muffin but more fluffy and not quite as dense – but still a little more cake-like AKA incredibly moist, tender crumb. I attempted to achieve this with this Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe – and I think they are pretty close – at least to the point Patrick and I just couldn’t stop devouring them. And because lemon and blueberries love each other and I love them together, I’ve topped this Blueberry Muffin recipe with delectable Lemon Glaze. I adapted the lemon glaze from my Hot Mama’s Lemon Poke Cake so you get a slightly sweet, moist, blueberry muffin with juicy blueberry bursts in every bite complimented by a heavenly sweet and tangy lemon glaze. Now you have my version of the BEST Blueberry Muffins!
Why these are the BEST Lemon Blueberry Muffins
EASY. No mixer required for these Easy Blueberry Muffins! All you need are two bowls, a whisk and of course your muffin tin.MOIST. These Blueberry Muffins are, moist, and tender without being oily from a combination of vegetable oil, butter and sour cream.CAKE-LIKE. These Blueberry Muffins are soft and cake-like, with a melt-in-your-mouth crumb.EXTRA BLUEBERRIES. No one wants to bite into Blueberry Muffins without pops of juicy blueberries in every bite, so this Blueberry Muffin Recipe is loaded with 2 ½ cups blueberries -at lease one cup more than most recipes!LEMON. The sweetness of the blueberries is complimented by a hint of fresh, tangy lemon extract.LEMON GLAZE. The Lemon Glaze is optional but I think it pushes these muffins over the top to the BEST Blueberry Muffins. It’s sweet, tangy, silky bliss. I could eat it by the spoonful.
INGREDIENTS FOR Lemon BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Blueberries. Fresh or frozen blueberries work in this recipe. Blueberries are only in season from May to July so it is hard to find sweet fresh blueberries all year round. Thankfully, this doesn’t prevent us from making Lemon Blueberry Muffins! When using frozen blueberries, do NOT defrosts first – add them when they are still frozen.Flour. I use all-purpose flour in this Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe but you can use 100% whole wheat flour, bread flour or a combination of any the 3, just be aware it will modify the flavor and texture. A gluten-free flour blend like Bob Red Mills 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour also works.Sugar. Granulated sugar helps to make the blueberry muffins flavorful and tender. You can swap for other sugars (brown sugar or coconut sugar, for example), but the texture of the muffin will change slightly. I also love adding a sprinkle of sugar to the muffin tops just before baking, which turns into a crackly top.Oil and butter. I have found the combination of both oil AND butter makes the BEST Lemon Blueberry Muffins. Oil makes more tender muffins but butter gives you that tantalizing buttery flavor. So why settle for one or the other? Instead, both will give you the best flavor and texture. You may also use coconut oil as it brings a great flavor as well.Milk. I recommend any milk but fat free. If you are dairy-free, milk alternatives like unsweetened almond or coconut milk will work.Eggs. You will need 2 large eggs. They provides structure and binding properties. Take care they are at room temperature along with your milk and sour cream so everything mixes together easily for fluffier results.Sour cream. I LOVE using sour cream in baked goods. It makes our Blueberry Muffins extra moist, and gives them a tender texture. The tang from the sour cream also compliments the sweet blueberries. You can also swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt.Baking powder. is my favorite raising agent for these Lemon Blueberry Muffins. It helps them rapidly rise and bake into light and tender muffins. Make sure your baking powder is fresh, between 6-12 months old, so it works!Vanilla extract. Use quality vanilla for best results.Lemon extract. Lemon extract delivers a concentrated lemon flavor without adding extra liquid/lemon juice that cannot be achieved in any way – so please don’t skip! You can find lemon extract in the baking section by the vanilla extract. Don’t use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably – they are NOT the same.
Ingredients for Lemon Glaze
Powdered Sugar. Ensures you get a creamy smooth glaze instead of a granulated one.Butter. Yumminess.Lemon Juice. that fabulous, tangy lemon FLAVOR!
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Remember when I said these were EASY Blueberry Muffins?! Well, they are! To make Blueberry Muffins:
Prepare Muffin Cups. Spray 18 muffin cups (1 ½ tins) with nonstick cooking spray containing flour or grease and flour muffin cups.Combine Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Add blueberries and toss until evenly coated.Combine Wet Ingredients. Whisk sugar and eggs together in a separate medium bowl until combined. Slowly whisk in cooled butter and oil into sugar/eggs until combined, followed by milk, sour cream, vanilla and lemon extract until combined.Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture just until moistened, don’t overmix! (mixture will be lumpy)Divide Batter. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among 18 prepared muffin cups.Bake Muffins. Bake at 425 degrees F for 17-19 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
How do you keep berries from sinking in batter?
The Best Lemon Blueberry Muffins need to have evenly distributed blueberries, so how do you keep them from sinking in the batter? Blueberries are dense so to counteract that, you need a dense batter AND to coat them with flour. The flour helps the blueberries cling to the batter and absorbs some of the juices released by the blueberries. This is what step 2 is all about in my recipe. “In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Add blueberries and toss until evenly coated.” This flour method works particularly well with frozen blueberries because the flour clings to them better. Another tip for evenly dispersed blueberries is to add one tablespoon of plain batter to each muffin cup BEFORE you add the blueberries to the batter. Then proceed to gently fold the blueberries into the batter and fill the cups.
Tips for Lemon blueberry Muffins
Room temperature eggs, milk and sour cream. Room temperature ingredients mix more easily which results in a lighter texture and prevents you from over-mixing.Don’t over-mix. Once you combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, you never want to overmix. Over-mixing can result in tough, dense Lemon Blueberry Muffins instead of soft and cake-like.Ice cream scoop. This handy gadget works amazing to dollop batter into the muffin liners. It keeps your hands clean and you get uniform muffins!Fill part way. Evenly divide Lemon Blueberry Muffin batter between 18 cupcake liners so they are ¾ of the way full. Blueberry lemon muffins will plump when baked.Bakery style. For extra tall muffins, evenly divide the batter to the top of each muffin cup (this will obviously make less Blueberry Muffins), Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at an initial high temperature o f 425 degrees F, then lower it to 350 degrees F and continue to bake an additional 18-20 minutes.Don’t over-bake. There should be a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick for a moist, tender crumb.Let muffins cool completely before glazing: If you try and glaze your lemon Blueberry Muffins right away, then the glaze will melt right off.How to Juice a lemon for maximum yield. You will need 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice for the Lemon Glaze. Fresh lemon juice is always best, so it is important to know how to juice a lemon. First, you need to break down the membranes inside the lemon. The membranes hold all the juicy goodness we want! Start with room temperature lemons. Microwave the lemon for 30 seconds if needed; or simply let warm in a bowl of war water. Allow to cool down and proceed. Vigorously roll the lemon on the counter top for a few seconds. Cut the lemon lengthwise – this allows you to get a better grip and therefore more juice. Use a lemon reamer or other gadget to extract more juice. I often use a grapefruit spoon to get in in there good and find all the membranes of juice.
HOW TO STORE LEMON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Leftover Lemon Blueberry Muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, or refrigerated for up to one week.
HOW TO FREEZE Lemon BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
HOW TO THAW Lemon BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Thaw on Counter: Place lemon Blueberry Muffins on the counter and thaw overnight. I then like to microwave my muffins for 10 seconds or so because warm muffins are so much better!Microwave from frozen: Place a frozen muffin in the microwave and heat at 30 second intervals until warmed. Take care not to microwave for too long if your muffins are glazed or it will melt off!Bake from frozen: Unwrap muffins and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Same as above as far as the glaze goes, don’t bake for too long or the glaze will slide off.
Are blueberry muffins good for you?
Blueberry Muffins are more like a cake than a bread due to their sugar and fat content. You can use healthier substitutions, just know you will lose out on flavor and texture. If you’re looking for a healthier recipe, I would choose these muffins instead. Blueberry Muffins, however, are a scrumptious way to eat blueberries which are very good for you. HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLUEBERRIES
Even though they consist of 85% water, these cute little balls are filled with amazing health benefits.In one cup of blueberries, you will consume only 84 calories, but get 4 grams of fiber and 25 percent of daily intake of Vitamin C and Manganese.Blueberries are believed to have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all common fruits and vegetables. They are at the top of the food chain of nutrients….is there such a thing?In studies, blueberry juice reduces DNA damage, which is the leading catalyst of cancer, and aging.Blueberries also improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.Regular consuming of blueberries, ie yummy Blueberry Muffins, can be linked to lower blood pressure.
Yay blueberries! This is not even a nearly complete list. We know they are good for us, and these Blueberry Muffins might just be the most delicious way to eat them with a lemon zing of flavor.
LETS TALK ABOUT BLUEBERRIES
I always love learning about ingredients in my recipes, especially common ones like blueberries! And since we wouldn’t have BLUEBERRY Muffins without them, here’s some trivia:
Types of blueberries. The most common type of blueberry in the US is the highbush. If you have small or often labeled wild blueberries, they are most likely lowbush blueberries. This type has higher amounts of antioxidants. Unless you cultivate your own (or farmers market) these are the varieties you are consuming in the US.Quantity of blueberries. In 2017, world production of blueberries (low and highbush combined) was 596,813 tons, which I am happy to report the United States is responsible for 40% of that total production! Domesticated just a century ago in New Jersey; the bush blueberries require cold winters, and moist, acidic soil rich in organic matter.Location of blueberries. I was excited to learn how California has boomed its blueberry growing. In 1997, California grew only 196 acres of blueberries. However, now it has about 4,500 acres. The country’s largest producer at 110 million pounds last year is Michigan. When California’s plantings mature, its production could exceed 50 million pounds, exceeding Oregon’s (the 3rd highest us producer)!
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