Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins are a combination of juicy blueberries and zesty lemon flavour, baked with a sprinkling of lemon crumble topping.

Course Sweet Treat

Cuisine International

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 409kcal

Preheat oven to 180c.
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.
For the crumble topping, add brown sugar to a small bowl, then grate in lemon zest over the bowl.
85 g light brown sugar
Use a flexible spatula to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
125 g plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 65 g salted butter
Whisk in plain flour, then add melted butter and mix to combine, then set aside.
For the muffin batter, add raw caster sugar to a large bowl, grate in lemon zest, then rub the lemon zest into the caster sugar.
220 g raw caster sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Mix in self-raising flour, then stir in blueberries and set aside.
375 g self-raising (self-rising) flour, 250 g blueberries
In a jug or medium bowl, combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, vanilla, melted butter and egg, then whisk to combine (the mixture will look curdled, that's normal).
250 ml buttermilk, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 60 g salted butter, 1 egg
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, then fold gently until it's just incorporated - don't overmix (see my notes).
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, then generously top each muffin cup with crumble topping mixture (it will look like a lot but use it all!).
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Grate the lemon zest directly over the bowl containing the sugar (to capture the oils that are released), and don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.
When grating the lemon zest, only grate the thin, outer yellow part of the lemon - not the white pith beneath or your zest will taste bitter.
Rubbing the zest into the sugar increases the lemon flavour by the abrasive sugar crystals breaking down the zest slightly and releasing the natural oils.
To make self-raising (self-rising) flour: for every cup (150g) of plain (all-purpose) flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder (not baking soda) and sift together well. For this recipe (muffin batter), sift together 5 teaspoons of baking powder and 375g plain (all-purpose) flour.
To make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to 1 cup (250ml) of whole milk and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until the mixture appears curdled and slightly thickened.
Overmixing will make the muffins tough. The more you mix, the tougher and denser the texture of your muffins will be. Use as few strokes as possible and try to make each one count by scraping right along the base of the bowl - I use a silicone or rubber spatula for best results.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*