I told you we weren’t done with lemon and this time, it’s blueberry lemon muffins with lemon glaze. Growing up, blueberry muffins were something that came in a little packet courtesy of Betty Crocker. They had these little sticky specs of what were supposed to be blueberries, they were nearly instant requiring about 15 minutes and a little milk. And, to this day, I love them. I’ll never stop loving them. Here’s the thing… Betty Crocker packet muffins and real homemade muffins are nowhere near being in the same league. Comparing the two would be like comparing packaged powdered donuts to Krispy Kreme when the hot light is on. Or, fresh squeezed orange juice to Tang. So, if you love those little muffin packets too, don’t stop. Scratch made muffins require a little more work, although really not that much. You still only get one bowl dirty and the product is tender muffins filled with plump, juicy blueberrys, crunchy tops and a tarte lemon glaze. Did I have one with my morning coffee every morning last week? Maybe. My grandmother eats a Little Debbie Pecan Pinwheel everymorning and says it has protein from the pecans. She is diabetic, so if she can justify that, I’m going to say my muffin is basically a fruit smoothie. Sound good? Alright. Let’s make some muffins.
Do you know the muffin man?
Sorry about that title. I just couldn’t not use it. And maybe you don’t know the muffin man, but if you start making these, you will become the muffin man or woman. These are really so easy and pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. To make these easy blueberry muffins, go ahead and set your oven to preheat to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Then grab a large mixing bowl if you are using a hand mixer or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the softened butter and sugar and cream on medium speed for 1 minute. Do you know the best way to soften butter quickly? Fill a glass with hot water and wait 10 seconds. Pour out the water and cover the stick of butter with the warm class. Let sit 5 minutes. Repeat if needed. Works like a dream with perfectly soft butter every time. No more excuses for not using actual softened butter in your recipes. Once the butter and sugar have been creamed, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix on medium 1 minute. At this point, your batter will look sort of chunky and curdled. Not to worry.
Bursting with blueberries
In a separate bowl (ok, I lied, this is a two bowl recipe. BUT, in one bowl, you only add the flour, baking powder and salt and we all know you don’t have to actually wash those bowls after using. Just wipe and put it right back where you found it.) combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a fork so that the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed and there are no lumps in the flour. Add your flour to the wet ingredients and mix on medium low for 30 seconds until combined. Now we are ready for the star of the show…the blueberries, obviously. Toss them in and if using a stand mixer, use the lowest setting to just blend them in without smashing them. If you are using a hand mixer, switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold the berries into the muffin batter.
Muffin making last steps
Line a 12-muffin tin with liners and spray the top of the muffin tin with cooking spray. We are not going to let our muffins stick. Divide the batter between the 12 cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop with a trigger for easy scooping and portioning. This will be full and produce muffins with a bakery-style muffin top that is bigger than the muffin. If you aren’t interested in that top, you can divide batter between 15-16 muffins and enjoy your sad, top-less muffins. Bake in the preheated oven 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Lemon Glaze
Do you see that crackly top?! Oh my goodness. Muffin tops are the best part of the muffin. You know it. I know it. Panera knows it. Now let’s make them even better. While your muffins are in the oven, mix together the glaze in a small bowl. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir together. While your muffins are still warm, brush or spoon a small amount of glaze over each muffin. Let cool the muffins cool or don’t and enjoy your lemon blueberry muffins!
If you’ve got an abudance of blueberries this summer or like me, you bought the 5lb bag of frozen blueberries at costco and need the perfect recipe to enjoy them, here is what you need to make these perfect blueberry lemon muffins with lemon glaze…
Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemmon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Lemon Glaze
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper baking cups and spray the top of the pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar. Cream together for 1 minute on medium speed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest and mix on medium for 30 seconds. At this point, the batter will look curdled.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a fork to remove any lumps.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium low for 30 seconds until fully combined. Fold in the blueberries by hand or on the lowest setting.
- Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups and bake on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes, until golden.
- While the muffins are baking, in a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest to make the lemon glaze. Brush or spoon over the warm muffins.
Notes
- This makes 12 muffins with large muffin tops. If you would like the muffins to be smaller and not have the large, bakery style tops, divide the batter between 15 muffin cups.
- Store the muffins in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.