These lemon and blueberry muffins are light and airy, packed full of delicious fruit and topped with a fragrant cinnamon crunch.
These lemon and blueberry muffins are so quick to put together. Bursting with juicy plump fruit and a hit of lemon they make them a great option for packed lunches, for when friends stop by or pack them on a picnic. I’ll often make a quick batch for a weekend lunch.
Table of Contents
Making lemon and blueberry muffins
These muffins come together fast. Turn the oven on and grease or line the muffin tins, you’ll be ready to go by the time the oven has heated up.
First I mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients well individually before bringing them together. It minimises the amount of mixing you’ll need to do with the batter and that will give you much lighter and fluffier muffins.
Melt the butter and remove that from the heat. Add the milk which brings the temperature down quickly so you can add the beaten egg without worrying about it scrambling or curdling. That’s it for the wet ingredients.
In another bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. To make it quicker still, if you are using commercial all purpose flour and you can’t find the sieve you can skip this part as they are already sifted, often triple sifted, during the packing process so it won’t be lumpy.
I do still prefer the aeration that comes with resifting the flour as you use it because it will help with making the finished muffins nice and light but it depends how busy I am. Then give those dry ingredients a quick whisk together and add the lemon zest and sugar before mixing again.
Both bowls are now well combined and it’s time to bring them together. Wet ingredients go into dry and then mix them gently but thoroughly. I find using a spatula with a slow folding motion around the edge and down through the middle gets this done but use what you have around, a wooden spoon or even a fork.
When the batter just comes together you are ready to incorporate the blueberries into the mix. Do this just enough to combine the berries evenly into the mixture without breaking them or streaking the batter too much with the juice. If I’m using frozen berries I add them while they are still frozen, it keeps their shape nicely once the muffins are cooked and avoids them getting too mashed as you mix them through.
Fresh berries are even better if you have them available but the season is short and they can be quite pricey so I’ll often have already used them fresh even if I did pick up a punnet at the market.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small ramekin or cup ready for the topping. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin tin and scatter cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through. If you want to double-check they are cooked you can insert a toothpick into one or two of the muffins and it will come out clean (unless you pierce a blueberry).
Allow to partially cool before removing from the tray to avoid breaking them, hot muffins are delicate. Using muffin cases can help with this and are useful in keeping them together if they are being packed in a lunchbox or picnic hamper.
Once they are cool store any that are left in an airtight container in the cupboard for a day or two. If you want to store them for longer package into the freezer and pull them out on the day you plan to use them.
Lemon and Blueberry muffins
A soft and delicious lemon and blueberry muffin with bursts of juicy fruit and crackle of cinnamon sugar topping.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup raw caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
- 100 grams of butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Cinnamon sugar cruch topping
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the muffins
Heat oven on bake to 220 Celcius.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl then add the first measure of sugar and finely grated lemon rind. Whisk to combine.
In a small saucepan melt the butter, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Add the milk and egg. Whisk to incorporate.
Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Use a spatula to mix until just combined, don't overmix or the muffins will be denser.
Now add the fruit and gently give it a couple more turns just enough to evenly distribute the berries without bursting them.
Oil or line a muffin tray and fill each hole until 3/4 full. For a standard size muffin pan, this should be 10 muffins cups.
For the topping
Add the second measure of sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.
Sprinkle evenly on top of each muffin.
To bake
Bake 12 - 15 minutes at 220 Celcius.
Remove from oven. Pierce with a toothpick to test they are cooked if you are unsure, this might be necessary if you want to make larger muffins.
Allow the muffins to stand for a few minutes before removing them from the tin.
Notes
Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries to make these muffins, just use what you have easily available, the end result will be almost identical.
Butter: I list the butter as 'butter' because it doesn't make a significant difference to these blueberry muffins whether your butter is salted or unsalted.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per ServingCalories 222Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 23mgSodium 377mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 4g
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Have a surplus of lemon and blueberries? Why no also give our tangy lemon and blueberry slice a try.