These blueberry lemon muffins product a soft, tender crumb. I topped mine with a sprinkling of coarse sugar for a fun, crunchy bite!
August seems like a blue to me. Up until the last week of the month, I could count on one (maybe two) hands the total number of nights I’ve actually slept in my own bed. We were in Delaware for my mom’s services, and then I traveled to Asheville (NC) and Nashville (TN) for work. In between all the crazy travel, my family and I met my in-laws in Atlanta for a few days as well.
After I returned from Nashville, my dad came to stay with us. He stayed with my brother for almost 3 weeks. Together, they completed some paperwork and notified a few agencies about my mom. On the brighter side, my dad was able to spend a lot of time with my nephew and niece. This is probably the most time he’s been able to cuddle with them since they were both born.
I looked forward to my dad’s visit. Upon his arrival, I baked his and my mom’s favorite Hawaiian banana bread for him to eat for breakfast. Because everyone in the house snacked on this bread every day, we demolished it very quickly. When I asked Addie what to make for breakfast, she inquisitively said, “Blueberry muffins?” And so blueberry muffins it was. But, I added a splash of lemon to give it an extra kick of flavor.
What I loved about these muffins were how soft they were. I added a layer of sugar on top for a fun crunch. I used another recipe as a baseline but swapped out some of the ingredients to make it slightly healthier. And you know what? I think I’d prefer this healthier version over the other one if given a choice.
It’s been great to have my dad here. I’ve loved watching him cuddle with Addie and play with her. I have also enjoyed hearing his stories about my mom. It’s going to be a long road for all of us to get back to normal, but we’re taking it day by day.
Blueberry lemon muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour can substitute with all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract can substitute with juice and zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries if frozen, do not thaw
- raw or turbinado sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Generously line or grease a standard muffin pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix together the sugar and the applesauce on medium speed until well blended. The mixture may appear grainy, and that's OK.
- Add the eggs one at a time. Then add in the vanilla, almond and lemon extracts (or juice/zest if using).
- Turn the mixer down to low. Alternatively add the dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
- Turn the mixer off and fold in the blueberrie with a rubber spatula.
- Evenly distribute the batter into your prepared muffin pans, filling them all the way to the top. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool before serving.