Healthier Lemon Blueberry Muffins (GF) (V)

One bite into these muffins and Captain Haddock’s signature line, “Billions of blue blistering barnacles#%!,” from the wonderful series The Adventures of Tin Tin came to mind. My mouth filled with a burst of warm blueberry juice just before the lemon sugar zest topping kicked in. If muffins float your boat, keep the sugar to a minimum and use almond milk and gluten free flour for a healthier version of this easy recipe.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 3 Persimmons*

Ingredients:

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 + 1 medium lemons

2 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

Image from NaTech4Kids

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (use oil for vegan)

1 cup almond milk

2 large eggs (use egg subsitute for vegan)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 to 2 cups of plump, juicy blueberries

Directions:

Prep the Night Before Baking (if possible): 

Make the lemon zest sugar for the batter: Prepare the zest of 3 lemons, add 1/2 cup of sugar and work well with fingers, squeezing the lemon zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist, about 30 seconds; refrigerate in a covered container. 

Make the lemon zest sugar for the topping: In the same manner, prepare the 2 tablespoons of sugar and zest of 1 lemon for topping; place in a separate covered container and refrigerate. (Note: Use sparingly or eliminate to reduce sugar content.)

Juice the lemons for about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of juice for the muffins; refrigerate. 

Rinse the blueberries and let air dry in a colander.

Alternatively, make lemon sugar zest and refrigerate for about 1 hour prior to making the muffins. Rinse and shake dry the blueberries before adding to batter.

To Make the Muffins:

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375º F.  Place muffin liners in a standard 12 muffin pan (preferred), or about 6-7 larger muffin liners, or coat the wells with cooking spray. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. 

1. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and pour into a large bowl. Let cool a bit so the eggs don't curdle but the butter is warm enough to absorb the other ingredients.

3. Add the lemon sugar to the warm butter and whisk to combine. Add the lemon juice, milk, eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon (some lumps are fine). (Note: my house is quite cold and the butter got lumpy after adding the additional ingredients - it softened after adding the flour). Add blueberries and gently fold to combine. The mixture will be thick.

4. Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, or tablespoon, divide the batter among the muffin wells, filling each one over the top (about 1/2 cup/well for the regular-sized muffins). Add additional blueberries as needed on top. Sprinkle each muffin with the lemon sugar topping. Save any extra lemon sugar to top reheated muffins or sprinkle inside.

5. Bake until the muffins have a dome, are light brown, and a wooden skewer comes out clean, 20-35 minutes. Let cool for 6 minutes before removing from pan.

Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or indivisible wrap and freeze. Reheat in a warm oven and spinkle with leftover lemon sugar. Serve plain or with butter or jam.

Recipe adapted from the kitchn website here. (Note: I did not test the suggested vegan ingredients.)

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*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.