LEMON RASPBERRY MUFFINS

Lemon Raspberry Muffins with a light lemon flavor, filled with fresh raspberries and then topped with a sweet buttery streusel topping. These muffins are perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack any time of the day!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins are one of my absolute favorite muffin recipes at my house…and we love muffins! They are delicious, but also pretty healthy with a few substitutions.  I like the lemon taste because it is very subtle, but if you aren’t a fan of lemon, it is very easy to use whatever flavor of yogurt you prefer. If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, just add a teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter, and/or a little bit of lemon zest as well!

How do you make the best muffins?

One tip for success with muffins of nearly any kind is to only mix the batter until combined. Over mixing really affects the light, fluffy texture muffins have. Also, if you want perfectly domed muffins, increase the baking temperature 25 degrees for the first 5 minutes, then decrease temp to 400 and bake an additional 10-12 minutes.

Are lemon raspberry muffins healthy?

-You can swap in applesauce for some or all of the oil in the recipe and the muffins are still delicious. They won’t be quite as light and fluffy, but the taste is still amazing.

-Swap in wheat flour for some or all of the white flour. The more you swap out, the more the taste and consistency will be affected.

-Leave the streusel topping off to avoid the extra sugar and calories.

Muffins are generally not considered a health food, but with a few little swaps, these muffins are actually pretty healthy!

-The muffins have yogurt in them and if you use a high-protein Greek yogurt, it adds quite a bit of protein to the recipe.

Ingredients in Lemon Raspberry Muffins

6 oz lemon yogurt (I used Greek yogurt in this batch and it worked well – use whatever flavor you want!)

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup oil (I always substitute at least 1/2 of this amount with applesauce, sometimes all of it.  If you replace all the oil with applesauce, it will make them more dense and a little chewy but they are still delicious)

2 cups flour (I often replace half of this amount with whole wheat flour)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (I used a 6 oz container of fresh raspberries)

Making a Streusel Topping

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. cold butter

In a large bowl, mix yogurt, eggs, sugar and oil. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed.

Fold in raspberries and fill muffin tin cups 3/4 full.  (This recipe makes about 18 regular sized muffins.)

To make streusel, use a pastry blender or a fork to mash ingredients for several minutes, until butter is well incorporated and the consistency more like crumbles than sand.

Sprinkle topping over batter and bake bake muffins at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

CAN LEMON MUFFINS BE FROZEN?

I love freezing lemon muffins! How you prepare the muffins for freezing really depends on how long you intend to keep them frozen. If you just want to freeze them for a week or two, I’d wrap them in plastic wrap or foil and place the muffins in a large freezer ziplock bag. If you want to freeze them for 2-6 months, I’d wrap them more securely, making sure each muffin is airtight by wrapping it in a double layer of foil or plastic wrap, then place it in a ziplock bag.

USING CAKE FLOUR IN BAKED GOODS

Here is a fun tip I found for future muffins I make! Did you know that cake flour is excellent for baking cakes and other baked goods that have a high amount of sugar? Try it in cupcakes, muffins, and even cookies! Why use cake flour instead? One of the reasons is that the lower protein means that the flour forms less gluten as you work with it, which in turn keeps baked goods light and airy. Who knew, right? You don’t have to use cake flour in this recipe(and many times I don’t), but it is easy to do and you may find you like your baked goods better with cake flour!

HOW DO YOU MAKE CAKE FLOUR FROM ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR?

Measure out the amount needed for your recipe.
For every 1 cup of flour remove 2 Tbsp of flour.
Now add 2 Tbsp of Cornstarch for every 1 cup of flour. (replacing the tablespoons of flour taken out).
Sift 5-6 times and it’s ready-to-use cake flour.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins with a light lemon flavor, filled with fresh raspberries and then topped with a sweet buttery streusel topping. These muffins are perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack any time of the day!