Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
These Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins are bakery-worthy with their tender crumb and tangy-sweet glaze made from real blueberry juice. I tested this recipe over 5 times to strike the perfect balance between light and cakey but also moist - truly the best of both worlds! They are not too sweet, both indulgent and fresh, making them just as welcome at brunch as they are for a midweek treat.
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (312 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup salted butter melted (150 grams)
- 1 cup white sugar (200 grams)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt (40 grams)
- 3 lemons
- 2 tablespoons poppyseeds
- ⅔ cup whole milk (160 ml), low-fat is fine too
- 1½ cups fresh blueberries (200 grams)
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted (115 grams), maybe more
- (juice from 1 lemon whose zest is used in muffins above)
Instructions
- Prep the oven and muffin tin – Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a metal muffin tin with 18 paper liners and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients – In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- Melt the butter – You can do so in one of two ways.- Stovetop: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter until fully liquid. (Note that if you are making the glaze, you can use the same saucepan for the blueberries as you do with melting butter).- Microwave: Add butter to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15–20 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.
- Infuse the sugar – Zest 3 lemons directly into a large bowl. Add the sugar. Use your hands to rub the zest into the sugar for about 1 minute, until the sugar turns yellow and smells lemony.
- Mix the wet ingredients – To the lemon sugar, add melted butter and stir to combine. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt. Stir again. Then add poppyseeds and the juice of 2 lemons (reserve the 3rd lemon's juice for the glaze).(TIP: Roll the lemons back and forth on your table or counter with slight pressure from your hands AFTER you have zested the lemons in order to make them juicier!)
- Combine wet and dry – Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until halfway combined. Then add the milk and continue stirring just until combined. Fold in the blueberries gently to avoid streaking. Do not overmix the batter in order to avoid a dense muffin.
- Bake the muffins – Use a spoon or cookie scoop to divide the batter into the prepared liners. Fill each to the top. Bake at 425°F for 8 minutes, then—without opening the oven—lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 10 more minutes. This method creates a burst of heat that helps the muffins rise tall and cook evenly. Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully before glazing.
- Make the glaze – In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine blueberries and vanilla extract. Cook 5–10 minutes until the berries burst. Optional: mash them gently with a spatula to encourage bursting.
- Strain and mix glaze – Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Using the same sieve, pour the blueberry mixture in. Use the back of a spatula or spoon to press the blueberries to extract the juice into the bowl with the powdered sugar. Only about 2 tablespoons of juice is needed, no more, so no need to press too hard. Add lemon juice and stir until smooth. Discard blueberry pulp (or save to add into a yogurt bowl, oatmeal, chia seed pudding, pancakes, etc).
- Glaze the muffins – Once the muffins are fully cooled, drizzle or spoon the glaze over the tops. Serve and enjoy!