Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I've been making blueberry muffins for a long time, using various recipes over the years. I never had a particular favorite, though. I hadn't made any for a long time, but recently I needed an easy breakfast-y treat for a Meal Train and the idea of blueberry muffins struck. Looking for a new recipe, I checked Smitten Kitchen as I almost always do, and of course she had one that looked just the thing. It included lemon, which is my favorite flavoring for blueberry muffins, and called for yogurt or sour cream in place of the usual milk or buttermilk. Her recipe is an adaptation of other recipes, and so on, and so on .... Here's my take on it; I've even included a variation for Orange Cranberry Muffins.



I've actually made these with Greek-style yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk. Each produces a slightly different texture, and you might detect slight differences in flavor, as well. The Greek yogurt produces the thickest batter -- almost a dough, really -- followed closely by sour cream. These muffins bake up sturdy but tender with craggy, slightly crunchy tops. The buttermilk results in a more typical batter, although still on the thick side. The resulting muffin has a finer texture, a smoother, flatter top. I have not made these with regular yogurt, but I would assume the results fall between the sour cream and buttermilk versions. Below are two types of results. First, a sour cream version which has a more open crumb and craggier top. Second, a buttermilk version which has a finer crumb and smoother top. The height of each muffin has more to do with how much dough was put in the cup than to the ingredient difference.

An important point, though, about all of these dairy options is that they are cultured. As such, they have an acidic component that regular milk does not have. This not only makes a difference in flavor, but in texture as well; whenever you use cultured dairy in a baked good, you get a more tender result.

For the sake of good flavor, though, please -- I'm begging, here -- DON'T substitute milk + lemon juice or milk + vinegar as so many people do these days. This is a poor substitute for real buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream) and using the real thing will reap flavor rewards. If you want to go the buttermilk route, it keeps for AGES -- far far beyond the sell-by date on the carton. It can be used not only in other baked goods, pancakes, etc. but is a great sub for yogurt in your fruit smoothies. So, go ahead and buy that carton of buttermilk.

NOTE: It is unnecessary to toss the berries in flour before adding to the rest of the mixture as so many recipes instruct. It's an old wives' tale that this helps prevent them sinking to the bottom. Besides, this dough is thick enough, even when made with buttermilk, that it's not a problem.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 9 muffins

5 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use White Lily)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sugar
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (any style), sour cream, or buttermilk
1 large egg
1 generous cup (up to about 1-1/2 cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)
3 tablespoons or more raw sugar or sanding sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a 3- to 4-cup microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, melt the butter on High for 40 seconds; if butter is not completely melted, heat again in 10-second increments until just melted.

Allow the butter to cool slightly. Meanwhile, prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by either greasing 9 of the cups or lining them with muffin papers. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add the sugar and zest to the butter and whisk until well blended. Add the dairy and the egg and whisk again until the egg is thoroughly beaten and everything is well mixed.

Add the butter mixture and the blueberries to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula with a sturdy handle until all of the flour has been incorporated with no visible streaks. Don't overmix, but you don't have to be especially gentle.

Divide the dough evenly among the 9 muffin cups (I usually use two soup spoons to scoop the dough and push off into the cups.) The cups may be more full than you are used to with muffins but don't worry! They won't overflow the cups.

Lightly smooth the tops to make them roughly even and dust each with a teaspoon or so of the raw or sanding sugar.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and a tester comes out clean of dough. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

Follow the preceding recipe exactly, substituting the zest of 1/2 an orange for the lemon zest, and 1 cup dried or fresh cranberries for the blueberries.