Lemony Blueberry Muffins

20190610_184540 At some point someone stole muffins and turned them into greasy, gut-bomb, cupcakes-in-disguise. It’s time to steal them back. You’re welcome.

IMG_20190610_212440 (All links open a new page, so you won’t lose your spot when you look around! Get information on gardening and cultural traditions, recipes, stories, and more!)

Muffins were always meant to be quick breads in easy-to-handle portions. They were supposed to be lightly sweetened, moist, flavorful, and something you could actually eat for breakfast and not feel like you were hit with a sugar coated brick.

20190610_212126 These muffins have a light hint of lemon, lots of blueberry flavor, a little sweetness that is not overwhelming (you could add more if you really want to), and are moist from a creamy mix of protein laden Greek yogurt and tangy sour cream. They work for breakfast, a snack, lunch, and even a lightly sweet treat for after dinner. Even a midnight snack!

20190610_212855 There will be times when you are making these that you are going to question me. Hey, I have kids and am a high school teacher. I’m used to it. Just trust me that it will all work out. This makes a batter that’s more like a dough, the blueberry topping will seem like it will run amok and make a mess. It will be fine and then all will be right in the universe when you take your first bite.

20190610_213044

Lemony Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Difficulty: take it easy stirring the batter and all is good
Print

The pictures show double the recipe written below and made 24 large muffins. I can’t put the muffin tins side-by-side, so I had my muffins on oven racks just above and below the middle setting. I then switched the muffin tins midway through the cooking time.

Ingredients

For the blueberry topping:

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (not sweetened)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup water

For the muffins:

3 cups all purpose flour (whisk the flour then lightly scoop into the measuring cup)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/4 cup oil (I always use olive oil, but a more plain oil can be used)
2 large eggs
3/4 – 1 cup granulated sugar (I use the lower amount, but if you prefer a more sweet muffin you can use the higher quantity)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (or 1 tsp. lemon zest or 1/2 tsp. lemon extract)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. plain, regular Greek yogurt (not low fat!)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. regular sour cream (not low fat!)
1 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (not sweetened)

Directions

In a small sauce pot, put all the ingredients for the topping, cover the pot, and heat on high just until boiling. Uncover the pot, turn the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring steadily, until the mixture is reduced down to about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Set the pot aside, uncovered, to allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl, measure out the flour and baking powder. Whisk them together thoroughly and set the bowl aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until it is soft and fluffy. Scrape down the butter from the bowl, and slowly add the oil, continuing to beat until they are mostly combined. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the sugar and lemon juice (or zest or extract), beating until the sugar is mostly dissolved and no longer gritty. Add the yogurt and sour cream, beating on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and completely mixed together.

Gently mix the flour into the liquid mixture, about 1 cup at a time. You are really folding it in, not stirring it. Don’t completely mix in each cup of flour before adding the next, otherwise you will over work the gluten in your flour and your muffins will come out tough. When all the flour has been added, continue to fold and cut it in to the batter until there are only small bits of flour visible. Add in the blueberries, and gently fold them in just until they are distributed throughout the batter. The mixture will be stiff, but resist the temptation to mix it hard.

Lightly oil your muffin tin. Distribute the batter among twelve muffin wells. They will be full. Using a small spoon or spatula, scoop a little of the blueberry topping and put it on top of each muffin. You want to make a small indent in the batter and lightly push the topping into it.

Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is just starting to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and cool them on a rack.

As tempting as it is to eat them fresh from the oven, they will really taste best if allowed to sit until cooled to room temperature. You can reheat them in the oven if you want, just wrap it lightly with foil leaving an opening so they don’t get soggy. These are moist enough to not need extra butter, but by all means, don’t let me stop you! Cream cheese is also an excellent option. Enjoy!