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These Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins are tender and moist with a buttery streusel topping and a drizzle of sweet lemon glaze. Irresistible!
You may have noticed that I've been in a crummy mood lately? Oops, that was a spelling error. I meant to say a crumb-y mood. As in, these kind of crumbs. And now I've made Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins with another wonderful crumb topping - see what I mean?
Yes, we're definitely quite partial to all things crumb-y. Well not all things. Not like crumbs on the floor and definitely not like crumbs in the bed. Oh no. But when it comes to baked goods with a lovely layer of buttery sweet crumbs, that's when we're hopelessly enticed. And these Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins perfectly fit the bill!
So when I had the opportunity to spend some time with three of my favorite little girls, I decided something crumb-y and yummy like these Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins were in order. We had a lot of fun cooking together and the resident photographer/grandpa caught the young chefs in action.
Cooking with children can be one of two things: either a complete disaster (and the biggest mess your kitchen’s ever seen) or a wonderful time of bonding, fun, and equipping a younger generation with essential life skills. Kids love to help in the kitchen and, believe it or not, opportunities for “teachable moments” abound in the midst of measuring flour and creaming butter and sugar.
How to make cooking with kids fun and non-stressful
I spent many hours cooking with my own kids as they were growing up, and now that they’re grown and have children of their own, I’m having fun passing on a bit of culinary proficiency to our next generation. With five of them, seven and under, I always have willing participants when I ask, “Who wants to cook with Grammy?” Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to make the experience more enjoyable, not only for them, but for myself as well. Here’s my list.
- Pick a simple project they can feel successful at. Cookies, muffins, cupcakes are all great projects kids will enjoy. Give them a few choices of age-appropriate projects and let them help in the decision-making process.
- Get prepared before the kids even enter the kitchen: lay out supplies, equipment, measuring cups, spoons, scale, etc. Do any necessary (or dangerous) prep to make things run smoothly and safely. The kids don’t have to do the entire project, but make them feel like they’ve been responsible for the whole project.
- Divide the recipe into steps. If you’re working with more than one child at a time, take turns allowing each one to be “on stage.”
- Expect that the recipe will take longer and make more of a mess than if you do it yourself.
- Start with teaching them good kitchen hygiene; the importance of hand-washing and keeping surfaces and equipment clean.
- Talk about the recipe and encourage lots of participation. Let the older kids read the recipe or read it out loud to the younger ones.
- Set the ground rules in advance: cooperation, respecting each other, taking turns, etc.
- Make them think and solve problems appropriate to their age. Ask the kids questions as you proceed. “What would happen if we added too much flour?” “Why do we need to add baking powder, or, what would happen if we skipped the baking powder?” “What is vanilla used for?” There are also math problems that can be solved in the kitchen as well as history (when and how recipes have come into being) and geography (where a particular recipe originates from).
- Most importantly have fun! You’re creating memories both you and the children will carry with them for many years to come.If you’re looking for a great way to start cooking with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc., this blueberry muffin recipe is perfect.
You can even include a foreign language lesson, teaching the kids to say, “Bon Appetit!” as they offer their delicious Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins to family, friends, and guests, who will be sure to offer rave reviews.
Love these Bakery Style Lemon Blueberry Muffins? These Morning Glory Muffins are healthy and crazy delicious, and also a wonderful way to start the day!
- CRUMB TOPPING
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup rolled oats (aka old fashioned oats)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries My favorites are the tiny wild blueberries available at most larger grocery stores.
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
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Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners
-
Make the crumb topping by combining the melted butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal and salt. Stir with a fork until crumbs form. Set aside.
-
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
-
If using frozen blueberries, place them in a small bowl and return to freezer until ready to use. If using fresh berries, place in a small bowl and set aside.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter for 1 minute until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and continue to beat for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and beat just until incorporated. Add buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest and mix on low until combined.
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Remove bowl from mixer. Add flour mixture and stir, by hand, until flour disappears. Do not over mix or muffins will be tough. Gently stir in blueberries.
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Divide mixture evenly in the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle with the crumb topping.
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Bake at 350˚F for 22 to 25 minutes or until light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack. Drizzle lightly with the lemon glaze.
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For lemon glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium size bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk until smooth.
Kiran says
My neighbor recently went a little nuts at a u-pick farm and brought me a ton of fresh blueberries. I found your post via Pinterest. I followed it exactly as written. These were the best homemade blueberry muffins I've ever made! Really delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
Chris Scheuer says
Lucky you! Such a nice neighbor 🙂 So happy you enjoyed them!
Cindy says
My family said these were the best muffins they have ever eaten! They were divine for sure. My blueberries were huge and I was worried that would be a problem, but it was not. They were perfection and a flavor that was so refreshing with the lemon. Absolutely loved them! Will be making them over and over 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome Cindy! So glad you enjoyed them, and thanks for your encouraging comments!
Shari says
Thank you for this recipe. These muffins are fantastic! Took them to our pre-church coffee time -many compliments including they looked like they came from a bakery!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for letting us know!
Julie Dollinger says
Can these be put into a loaf?
Chris Scheuer says
Honestly Julie, I haven't tried making them in a loaf so I can't say for sure.
Ron says
What is the calorie content per muffin??
Chris Scheuer says
I don't have a calorie converter but there are lots of sites out there that you could plug the ingredient list into.
Donna says
Thank you for this recipe! I made the muffins, and they looked like your picture! Everyone who tasted them raved! Well worth the time and effort! I ended up with 16 muffins...they were all perfect! Thanks again! 🙂
Elin says
Thanks for this! Made some for colleagues and for mother's day (today in the UK) and they turned out fantastic. Love the quantity of blueberries in these.
I was very worried too because I don't have an electric mixer, and get tired after about 2 seconds of stirring anything so I kind of just mixed the melted butter and sugar together in a general sort of way
Also I used milk instead of buttermilk, because that's what I had. No problems there either.
Did anyone else follow the crumb recipe quantities and end up with enough topping to coat their whole house? I think I'll just make a quarter of it next time!
I couldn't believe how great they looked when they came out and how juicy they taste. Got over=excited and iced them while hot and the icing went a bit pink xD Artistic licence and all that.
Chris Scheuer says
I love your comment Elin! The amount of crumbles is probably normal in the States, but not so much in Europe! LOL! We like our sweets!! Just a great excuse to make a second batch, right? 🙂
Ronda Pack says
I made these and my husband loved them! They are super delish! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
They fill the whole house with an incredible smell when they're baking, don't they Ronda?
Julie says
I just tried these and they're absolutely amazing!! I reduced the sugar in the muffin batter by 50g and another 30g from the crumb topping and they were the perfect sweetness for me with the glaze. Thank you so much for the beautiful recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Julie! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Martha says
I have made these twice with the taste being the best for lemon blueberry muffins. I used frozen organic jumbo blueberries but they didn't look like yours mine rose but then flattened out over the muffin pan with several joining together.. The taste was wonderful but the appearance needed some help. Any suggestions?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Martha,
I have a few thoughts about why they may flatten out like that. I wonder if the jumbo blueberries have too much moisture and that might be causing the muffins to flatten. I would also try preheating your oven to 400˚F and then turning it down to 350 when you put the muffins in. Sometimes that extra heat can give the batter the boost it needs to rise and not flatten out.
Jean says
My family's favorite by a long shot. They ask me for them almost every other day! I didn't even add the glaze and my family was fighting over these gems.
My muffins raised up pretty high over the lip of the muffin tin and made it a little difficult to get them out. I had sprayed the pan rather than using liners - is that ok? I'm not sure if it was too much batter, not enough spray or what. I'll try again and see what happens. It sure didn't impact the flavor!
Thanks for the recipe - it's bookmarked!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Jean! So glad you enjoyed them!
linda says
i just baked these muffins...they turned out perfect...beautiful to look at, and so light and air, and taste amazing...thank you for sharing
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Linda- I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Corinne Louie says
This recipe is great! I made it once using exact measurements, but ate so many that the 2nd time around I chanced using half the butter (for the muffins itself, used the called amount both times for the topping) and doubled the lemon zest. They came out wonderful. I use brown sugar for the crumb topping, and it adds a fantastic richness. First time was with fresh picked blackberries, 2nd time was with frozen blueberries. Thank you so much for posting!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm glad you enjoyed them Corinne!
V says
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi,
The buttermilk in recipes like this helps tenderize the gluten in batter, giving the muffins a tender texture and more body. However, if you don’t have buttermilk, I would just add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a (scant) 1/2 cup of milk, stir and let it sit for a bit, about 5 minutes. It will get a little curdly but that’s what you want. Use this instead of the buttermilk. It’s a great sub when you don’t have buttermilk or don’t want to buy a whole carton just for one recipe.
Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Lisa says
These are lovely. I would just note that I do think the mini wild blueberries should be requirement. We made them with blueberries we picked, and it was hard to get them adequately filled without blueberry explosions that then made it impossible to remove the muffin from the tin in one piece.
Chris Scheuer says
Interesting point Lisa! We'll have to try them that way too!
Susan Hissam says
I've made these many times, always to rave reviews. I recently made several batches of these for a nearby animal rescue group to sell at their yard sale - they were gone in a heartbeat. I do omit the vanilla and add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice to the batter. My favorite muffin recipe. Thanks for posting it!
Chris Scheuer says
So glad you enjoyed them Susan! Thanks for the comment!
Kristin says
Enjoyed making these muffins with my 7 year-old this evening! Simple and delicious--actually my first experience zesting a lemon! Thank you for the recipe!
Candia says
My mother brought me a bag of fresh blueberries this morning that someone had given to her. I had lemons on hand and found your recipe. I got busy baking and shared with the neighbors and my co-workers. I received rave reviews! They are like a burst of sunshine. Truly delicious and amazing recipe, thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for the kind words!
sue griffore says
I would like to make the muffins. Do you use the white paper cups frequently? I have seen them, but did not want to ruin a recipe by baking them in something other than cupcake papers. Do you have a source? Are they wax coated? Thank you for your help. sue
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sue, I have used the white paper cups with good results but these will also work well with regular cupcake papers.
taylor cox says
whats the nutrition value? cal. / carb / etc
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Taylor, I don't have a nutritional information program but that's on my list. I know there are some online you can plug the ingredients into.
Steph says
Holy moly, these are amazing! These belong in a gourmet restaurant. I would call them muffin cupcakes but a good afternoon snack or fancy brunch. I am going to pass this recipe to friends! It's so yummy! I'm voting this my new recipe of the year.
Chris Scheuer says
So glad you enjoyed them Stephanie!
Joe Lundberg says
Just made these. AWESOME! Such a wonderful taste! Can't wait to pick local WILD blueberries (smaller, but sweeter!) this summer and try them in this recipe! Do you have any idea of the calories per muffin??
Gwen Doggett says
I was so looking forward to these but I forgot to add the baking powder because it was not listed in the directions. I suppose it should be added with the flour" They were good but not as light as I expected.
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry your muffins were heavy. It's in step 2 that it says to combine "flour, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl. Set aside.”
I guess you might have missed that. I’m glad they were at least edible.
I hate it when I waste good ingredients. Hope you’ll try them again, they’re one of our very favorite muffins.
megan says
I made these this morning and here are some revisions I would make for next time:
Only 4 Tbsp butter for the crumb topping, it was very wet and clumpy
Use lemon juice to sour some milk instead of buttermilk
Bake at 375, it took 40 minutes to bake them at 350
Use less lemon juice or more powdered sugar for the glaze, it was too runny and sour
They were still delicious, thanks for the recipe!
Christina says
I made these muffins a few days ago and they were, by far, THE BEST MUFFINS EVER! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Even my hard-to-impress in-laws couldn't resist! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you for the kind words, Christina!