There was a time when muffins, pancakes, and quiches were my everyday, and breakfast was a big part of my life when I was an innkeeper for a year and a half . What I found to be most exciting and daunting was what to make for breakfast each morning. You can never please everyone, but you can make blueberry muffins. While they may not be everyone's first choice, I have yet to run into someone that doesn't enjoy one homemade and fresh from the oven. These muffins have a balance of lemony sweetness and are chock-full of blueberries in each bite.
I made 14 muffins to have a few extra, but if you make the standard 12 they will have lovely domed tops.
While I chose to glaze these muffins, you could top or not top them with whatever tickles your fancy. I always love a nice crumbly streusel topping, but you could also just sprinkle them with sugar and call it a day.
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Liberally adapted from Joy the Baker
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
the zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
Steps:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together adding the eggs one at a time. Once thoroughly mixed, add the milk, vanilla, almond extract, and lemon zest mixing until combined.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. When the flour is almost fully mixed (about 95% there), fold in the blueberries. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, you should get 12 muffins.
4. Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.
Lemon Glaze
Ingredients:
1 Lemon
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/2 - 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
*This recipe is not precise, as you will have to judge the consistency from the amount juice your lemon gives.
Steps:
Juice your zested lemon into a small bowl, add the almond extract and stir. Add the confectioner's sugar, starting with 1/2 a cup, then adding a tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine with each addition. When your glaze is thickened, but drips in ribbons from your spoon, drizzle over the muffins.
If you wanted a heftier ratio of glaze:muffin, double the recipe and dunk the muffins.
Photo credit: Exit Flag Photography