Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Cutting to the chase – what you’ll need

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbs greek yogurt
• 1/2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup lemon zest
• Crumble Topping Ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 tbs flour, 3 tbs butter, 1 tsp cinnamon

Get Set Up

• Combine dry ingredients in your mixing bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder)
• Wash and dry blueberries
• Wash and dry lemon(s), zest lemons (I use a fine cheese grater), once a majority of the rind is removed, slice the lemon in half and squeeze juice into a small bowl so it can be measured later.
• Combine your cinnamon crumble toppings in a bowl and mix / smash together with a fork. The colder the butter the easier it will be to combine. The consistency should be like sand, with the occasional larger lump of butter (don’t worry – it all melts together in the oven).
• Get wet ingredients out and ready to be measured (milk, vegetable oil, greek yogurt, egg, vanilla).
• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step-by-Step

• Mix dry ingredients together thoroughly in mixing bowl.
• In a 1 cup measuring cup add 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, and fill to the top with milk (should be about 1/3 but may be slightly more/less). Add the cup to the bowl of dry ingredients.
• Add the greek yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla to the bowl as well and mix together thoroughly with a wooden spoon. The consistency will be thicker than cake or brownie batter, but shouldn’t be so dry that when you lift the spoon the batter doesn’t drip down. Add milk until the desired consistency is reached if your batter is too dry.
• Add blueberries and lemon zest to the batter and mix.
• Line a muffin tin with 8 liners and spoon batter into each trying to get a good mix of blueberries and batter.
• Once the lined cups are filled almost to the brim (about 1/2 a cm from the top) sprinkle your cinnamon crumble topping on top.
• Place muffin tin in your preheated oven for 12 – 16 minutes (depending on your oven), the tops will be golden brown, test with a toothpick and if it comes out clean you’re ready to go!
• Makes 8 muffins

Extra Things

This recipe came together after I experimented with several blueberry muffin recipes because I thought they tasted boring and needed a little more pop. After much taste testing I landed on the lemon zest and lemon juice for the zing factor and added cinnamon crumble topping to give it the comforting hug that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy.

My first busy season at work I made these muffins and brought them to my team working on a year end audit. The partner on the account was a big fan and always remembered me for baking. I was a big fan of making these in the morning because it made me feel empowered to know I could workout, get ready, and bake breakfast treats for my team during a super busy time of year. YOU CAN do it all if you plan ahead . . . and are ok getting a little less sleep one night during the week. And if you have the time to get your 8 hours and bake – treat yourself to a glass of wine (or two) during your prep steps at night, it will make washing blueberries and zesting lemons a lot more fun.

I find that the prep for this recipe take the longest. If you’re short on time or if you want to bake these in the morning for ultimate freshness you can split up the prep and the baking. Do the prep steps the night or day before so that everything is ready to be mixed and baked in the morning which takes ~ 20-25 minutes in total. Just enough time to hop in the shower once you have the muffins in the oven – maximizing those precious minutes in the morning and making up for that extra Snooze hit on the alarm.

Night before prep steps include:

• Combine dry ingredients in your mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, bowl can be left out at room temperature
• Wash and dry blueberries, store these in the refrigerator overnight
• Zest lemon over a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight
• Juice lemon into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight
• Mix cinnamon crumble topping in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. This can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temp, depending on consistency. If the crumbles hold, room temp is ok, if the butter is on the mushier side you can store it in the fridge which will make it easier to mix further in the morning

Other tips:

• Batter Consistency: You want the batter to resemble a thick glue, this allows the blueberries to be suspended rather than all sinking to the bottom.
• Cinnamon Crumble Topping: If it’s turning to mush when you’re mixing it, put the bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and try again.
• Filling the Muffin Tin: I use two spoons to get the batter into the liners. Using smaller, non-mixing spoons makes this process a little easier, cleaner, and allows you to have more control over your batter-to-blueberry ratio.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my coworkers and feel kick-ass when you conquer the oven and the day!