Lemon Blueberry Muffins

by | Aug 16, 2021

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These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are bursting with juicy blueberries and a touch of zesty lemon flavor. With a crunchy top and a moist crumb, you’ll want to eat them for every meal.

close up of lemon blueberry muffins on wire rack

A Classic Breakfast Favorite

I love blueberry muffins. I don’t love how if I eat them for breakfast, I’m sleepy and sluggish the rest of the morning. These Lemon Blueberry Muffins have whole wheat in them to help with the carb crash, and tons of blueberries, so you feel like you’re eating more than just cake for breakfast.

Using White Whole Wheat Flour (King Arthur Flour has a good one, available in most grocery stores) is my favorite way to add whole wheat to baked goods, without making them dense and “healthy” tasting. It’s a softer type of wheat and, when paired with brown sugar, maintains that soft bakery muffin feel you crave. 

Don’t tell Missy, but I think it’s worth the clean-up to skip the muffin liners for these Lemon Blueberry Muffins. By baking the muffins directly in the pan, they get an irresistible golden brown bottom that is far from soggy and pretty much impossible to stop yourself from devouring. I have to stop myself from eating these all straight out of the oven. The ends of freshly baked Banana Bread have this same magical effect, especially with a smear of salted butter. Try it and you’ll see what I mean. 

cut open lemon blueberry muffins in muffin pan

Important Ingredients

  1. White Whole Wheat Flour – softer than traditional red winter wheat, this whole wheat is perfect for adding nutrients to baked goods without making them dense and heavy.
  2. Lemon Zest – adds the perfect bright, citrusy flavor. If you have small lemons, use the zest of three lemons to ensure the flavor comes through.
  3. Buttermilk – adds moisture and tenderness to this delicious muffin.
  4. Blueberries – the most important ingredient! My Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe features twice as many blueberries as most other recipes because I think a blueberry muffin should be mostly, well, blueberries.
lemon blueberry muffins batter in glass bowl
lemon blueberry muffins baatters in glass bowl being mixed
mixed lemon blueberry muffins batter in glass bowl

Recipe Tips

  1. Mix the dry ingredients: This helps distribute the rising agent evenly throughout the flour so the muffins are light and fluffy. 
  2. Buttermilk: If you don’t have any on hand, add 1 ½ T lemon juice to a measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 1 ½ C, then let sit for a few minutes before adding to the batter.
  3. Adding the flour and buttermilk: adding these in alternating steps helps incorporate the liquid and flour into the batter without creating lumps or overmixing. 
  4. Fold in the blueberries: be careful with this step. You don’t want mashed-up blueberries. Gently stir them just enough to distribute them evenly through the batter. Because there are so many and the batter is thick enough, they don’t need to be coated in flour to avoid sinking. 
  5. Turbinado sugar: optional, but adds a delicious sweet crunch to the tops of these muffins. 

These Lemon Blueberry Muffins have enough nutritional value to add to a weekday breakfast, and enough beauty, especially with the crunchy sugar top, to grace any brunch spread!

scooped lemon blueberry muffins into muffin tin pan
baked lemon blueberry muffins in muffin tin

Looking for more delicious brunch recipes? Try these:

lemon blueberry muffins pinterest pin
close up of lemon blueberry muffins on wire rack

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are bursting with juicy blueberries and a touch of zesty lemon flavor. With a crunchy top and a moist crumb, you’ll want to eat them for every meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 C (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 1 C (5.0 oz) white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ C (4 oz) salted butter, softened
  • 1 C (8 oz) brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ¾ tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 2-3 large lemons
  • ½ C (4 oz) buttermilk
  • 2 C fresh blueberries
  • Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Prepare a muffin pan by lining with muffin liners or spraying with nonstick cooking spray. 
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. 
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix softened butter and brown sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and stir to combine. 
  4. Add buttermilk and flour mixture to the butter, a bit at a time, alternating between milk and flour. Gently stir until just mixed.
  5. Fold in blueberries. 
  6. Divide batter evenly into muffin pan. Sprinkle tops of muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
  7. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes then remove and cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  • Frozen blueberries can be substituted. Keep them in the freezer until right before adding to the batter and stir just enough to distribute them. 
  • A heaping #20 cookie dough scoop is the perfect size to portion out the muffin batter into the pan.

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Hi, I’m Missy. Welcome to Taste Before Beauty. For 28 years I’ve been developing recipes that taste delicious, before they look delicious.

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