With a moist, cake-like texture and tart, lemony goodness in every fluffy bite, these Lemon Muffins add a ray of sunshine to any morning!
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS LEMON MUFFIN RECIPE
If you want to make bakery-quality, moist muffins in your own kitchen, you've come to the right place. For many years, I ran a successful bakery out of my home, and it just so happens that moist, lemony treats were one of my specialties!
My secret? Lemon zest and lots of it. I can't emphasize this enough: if you really want that lemon flavor to sing, do not skip the zest. Not only will we put the lemon to work, using both the juice from within and the zest on the outside. If you love lemon, it really makes a difference.
But it's not the lemon zest alone that makes this lemon muffin recipe the best. It's also:
- a carefully tested combination of wet and dry ingredients,
- flavoring components like real butter,
- and additions like buttermilk to keep things moist!
This muffin recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for bakers of any skill! With just the right amount of sweetness, you can enjoy these muffins as a breakfast treat, dessert, or light snack for multiple days since they are stored easily.
Top off your lemon muffins with a super easy, three-ingredient lemon glaze for an extra special touch!
LEMON MUFFINS INGREDIENTS
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray | Because no one likes it when your muffins stick to the pan.
- Unsalted Butter | Salted butter won't do well in this recipe. The flavors will be thrown off, so stick to unsalted.
- All-Purpose Flour | This main ingredient is your foundation. It provides structure and texture for that fluffy, crumbly finished product.
- Baking Powder | Meet your leavening agent. Leavening agents cause the batter to rise, resulting in a light and fluffy texture.
- Baking Soda | Your other leavening agent -- but baking powder and baking soda are not the same and cannot be substituted for one another. They play different roles within the leavening process. When combined with an acidic ingredient, -- ahem, your lemon juice -- it produces carbon dioxide gas. That gas gets trapped in the batter, causing it to expand and rise during baking.
- Sea Salt | Avoid grabbing coarse sea salt here. You definitely need fine sea salt.
- Granulated Sugar | The sweetness to your sour from the lemon.
- Eggs | The eggs hold your lemon muffin ingredients together, otherwise known as a binder.
- Lemon Zest | You will want this to add brightness and extra lemony flavor to your muffins. If you want to amp up the lemon flavor even more, try a teaspoon of lemon extract!
- Vanilla Extract | Warmth and sweetness are added to the muffins with the help of vanilla extract.
- Lemon Juice | It's beyond worth it to get fresh lemons for the fresh lemon juice. No bottled lemon juice allowed.
- Buttermilk | Because overmixing and overbaking are common in making baked goods, buttermilk helps to prevent your muffins from being too dense or tough.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON MUFFINS
1. Prep the Muffin Tin | Add paper liners to a standard-sized muffin tin and spritz with non-stick cooking spray to ensure you can easily get those muffins out!
2. Mix Dry Ingredients | Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside. Don't mix up your baking powder and soda!
3. Mix Wet Ingredients | Mix the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Stream in the melted butter, whisking until all is well combined.
4. Alternate Adding Dry and Remaining Wet Ingredients | Whisk the dry and wet mix in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Your additions will go like this: dry mix, buttermilk, dry mix, buttermilk, then finally, dry mix.
5. Bake | Fill the muffin cups about three-quarters full and bake for about 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
6. Rest | Set the muffins aside to cool on a wire rack.
LEMON GLAZE
If you want the lemon flavor in your muffins to sing a little louder, you can top them off with the fresh lemon glaze once they've cooled. It's an extra step, but it'll only take a few minutes to whip up, and you'll find it's worth it after just one taste!
LEMON GLAZE INGREDIENTS
- Powdered Sugar | Also known as confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar ensures a sweet, velvety texture.
- Lemon Juice | For that lemony spark in your glaze, fresh lemon juice is where it's at.
- Salt | Only a touch of salt is needed to balance the flavors in this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE A LEMON GLAZE
1. Mix | Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and liquified.
2. Drizzle | Drizzle the glaze all over the tops of the muffins with a spoon, serve, and enjoy!
Depending on your environment's humidity or how tightly your sugar was packed into your measuring cup, you may find you need more lemon juice to bring your glaze together. Adding it in small increments (like a teaspoon) rather than winging it is best.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT LEMON MUFFINS
- Lemon Zest | Don't skimp on the lemon zest; remember to avoid the pith when zesting!
- Measure Carefully | It is really important not to mix up or swap baking powder for baking soda or try to substitute cake flour.
- Don't Overmix | Don't overmix your batter! As soon as the dry ingredients seem to have disappeared into the wet ingredients, stop mixing.
- Check Them Early | Know when they're done! Not everyone's oven heats and bakes at the same rate. Begin checking them at the 22-minute mark.
- Cooling Time | Allow them to cool completely before adding the glaze. If you add the glaze while the muffins are warm, it will melt right off!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DO I STORE LEMON MUFFINS?
To store: For peak freshness, keep your lemon muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three to four days.
To freeze: Allow the glaze to set entirely and transfer them to either a freezer-safe, zip-top bag or a large freezer-safe, airtight container. Bring to room temperature and enjoy!
If you are freezing them to serve later, freeze them between sheets of wax paper in the container rather than in a zip-top bag. Do not overcrowd or smoosh them so your glaze stays nice and pretty.
Alternatively, you could freeze the muffins without the glaze, then bring them to room temperature the day you intend to serve them and glaze them just before serving!
CAN I ADD BLUEBERRIES TO MY MUFFINS?
Absolutely. Lemon and blueberry are a dynamic duo for pastries, so feel free to add 'em! Aim for one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
WHY ARE MY MUFFINS SO DENSE?
Overbaking or overmixing are most likely the reasons--both are easy to do. Be sure not to be too aggressive with your stir when mixing the wet and dry ingredients. When the lemon muffins are in the oven, check them a few minutes before they are done.
HOW DO I PREVENT DRY LEMON MUFFINS?
Like trying to prevent dense lemon muffins, we want to avoid dry ones, too. The buttermilk in this recipe does put the odds in the muffins' favor of being moist, but sour cream is another popular addition to lemon muffins for a moist outcome.
OTHER LEMON SWEETS YOU'LL LOVE
Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
For the Lemon Muffins:
- Non-stick cooking spray
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 heaping teaspoon of lemon zest (from 2-3 large lemons)
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
For the Lemon Glaze (Optional):
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the Muffins:
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Have ready a standard muffin tin with paper liners, and lightly spritz with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup of sugar, eggs, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Add the butter and whisk until combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Fill the liners or muffin cup ¾ of the way full and bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Set aside to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove the muffins from the tin and set on the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Make the Glaze:
- Once the muffins have cooled completely, make the glaze. Add the powdered sugar to a medium-sized mixing bowl, along with the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until the mixture has liquified.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the muffins with a spoon and allow the glaze to set. About 30-45 minutes more. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Source: What's Cooking America | Lemon Zest - How to Zest Lemons
Leave a Reply