These lemon and blueberry muffins are light and airy, packed full of delicious fruit and topped with a fragrant cinnamon crunch.

Blueberry and lemon muffins on cooling rack

These lemon and blueberry muffins are so quick to put together. Bursting with juicy plump fruit and a hit of lemon they make a great option for packed lunches, for when friends stop by or pack them on a picnic. I’ll often make a quick batch for a weekend lunch.

Making lemon and blueberry muffins

These muffins come together fast. Turn the oven on and grease or line the muffin tins, you’ll be ready to go by the time it’s heated up.

We’ll mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients well individually before bringing them together. It minimises the amount of mixing you’ll need to do with the batter and that results in lighter fluffier muffins.

Melt the butter and remove that from the heat. Add the milk which brings the temperature down quickly so you can add the beaten egg without worrying about it scrambling. That’s it for the wet ingredients.

In another bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. If you can’t find the sieve you can skip this part as they are already sifted during the packing process but the aeration that comes with resifting as you use it will help with making the finished muffins nice and light. Give those a quick whisk together and add the lemon zest and sugar before whisking again.

Both bowls are now well combined and it’s time to bring them together. Wet ingredients go into dry and mix gently but thoroughly. I find using a spatula with a slow folding motion around the edge and down through the middle gets this done but use what you have around, a wooden spoon or even a fork.

When it just comes together you are ready to incorporate the blueberries into the batter. Do this just enough to combine the berries evenly into the mixture without breaking them or streaking the batter unnecessarily with the juice.

lemon and blueberry muffins on wire rack

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small ramekin or cup ready for the topping. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin tin and scatter cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through. If you want to double-check they are cooked you can insert a toothpick into one or two of the muffins and it will come out clean (unless you pierce a blueberry).

Allow to partially cool before removing from the tray to avoid breaking them, hot muffins are delicate. Using muffin cases can help with this and are useful in keeping them together if they are being packed in a lunchbox or picnic hamper.

Once they are cool store any that are left in an airtight container in the cupboard for a day or two. If you want to store them for longer package into the freezer and pull them out on the day you plan to use them.

Lemon and Blueberry muffins

Yield: 10 muffins

A soft and delicious lemon and blueberry muffin with bursts of juicy fruit and crackle of cinnamon sugar topping.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw caster sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
100 grams of butter
1 cup low-fat milk
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cinnamon sugar crunch topping

1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the muffins

Heat oven on bake to 220 Celcius.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl then add the first measure of sugar and finely grated lemon rind. Whisk to combine.

In a small saucepan melt the butter, remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the buttermilk and egg. Whisk to incorporate.

Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Use a spatula to mix until just combined, don't overmix or the muffins will be denser.

Now add the fruit and gently give it a couple more turns just enough to evenly distribute the berries without bursting them.

Oil or line a muffin tray and fill each hole until 3/4 full. For a standard size muffin pan, this should be 10 muffins cups.

For the topping

Add the second measure of sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Sprinkle evenly on top of each muffin.

To bake

Bake 12 - 15 minutes at 220 Celcius.

Remove from oven. Pierce with a toothpick to test they are cooked if you are unsure, this might be necessary if you want to make larger muffins.

Allow the muffins to stand for a few minutes before removing them from the tin.

Notes

Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries to make these muffins, just use what you have easily available, the end result will be almost identical.

Butter: I list the butter as 'butter' because it doesn't make a significant difference to these blueberry muffins whether your butter is salted or unsalted. For a sponge cake, shortbread or buttercream icing where the sweet pure buttery taste of unsalted really makes a difference I will specify the type. Where I test the recipe both ways and it really doesn't matter, use what you have in your refrigerator. For many who don't bake multiple times a week salted makes sense to have on hand as it keeps a little better and works perfectly well for most jobs.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 377mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 4g

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