Lemon Streusel Muffins
Spring right into the delightfully happy Lemon Streusel Muffins! Great for any time of the year, these muffins are soft and moist, delightfully aromatic with a shortbread like streusel on top with a tangy lemon glaze.
These muffins are perfect for taking to work, serving for morning tea or freezing ahead of time and taking on the go! Perfect for the zoo in fact, that’s my favorite place to have these.
By the way! If you’re looking for more yummy muffin recipes, I have to say my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are a favorite in our house, and my Double Chocolate Chip Muffins are the best way to use up over ripe bananas! Also, I recently made a Lemon Pound Cake which is just as delightful as these muffins!
Table of Contents
What makes Lemon Streusel Muffins so amazing?
- Quick and easy to make
- They have a happy aromatic lemon flavor
- Crispy streusel top adds texture
- Easy grab and go snack
- Great any time of the year!
Overnight muffins? Don’t bother!
So the idea is that you make your batter and then rest it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld. It also helps you get taller and nicer looking muffin tops. I tried it, here’s why you shouldn’t bother:
- Taller muffin tops – yep, this is true, you will get taller muffin tops. I tried it and it works in this regard. What does that mean? Literally nothing textures wise. Don’t bother, your muffin tops will be a little less tall, they’ll taste the same.
- Flavor – the idea is that your muffin ingredients will get to know each other in the fridge which will lead to nicer tasting muffins. Can confirm, this isn’t really true. Your muffins will taste (in my opinion) better when baked fresh.
- Texture – ok, I have a lot to say about this! Texture wise, overnight muffins are not very nice. The aeration is minimal, the flour, for some reason, becomes glutinous in the fridge and they end up feeling a little like focaccia. Chewy, ew. Muffins should be nice and soft and delicate.
Look, maybe people who sweat by this are doing something different, but I tested this method and I would say it’s a waste of time, there’s little return. Unlike overnight cookie recipes which are totally legit!
Ingredients You Need To Make Lemon Streusel Muffins
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
Streusel
- Sugar – regular white granulated sugar will work.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter. You want to melt your butter and let it cool slightly before using.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour, also known as plain flour.
- Milk – this helps bind the ingredients!
Lemon Muffins
- Flour – I used regular all-purpose flour, also known as plain flour.
- Sugar – I used regular white granulated sugar.
- Baking powder – helps the cake rise. Make sure it’s not expired otherwise your cake won’t be as fluffy!
- Bicarb soda – same deal here. Make sure your bicarb soda is not expired.
- Salt – I used fine salt.
- Lemons – we’re only using the zest for the cake. Use the juice for the glaze.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, leave the salt out of the recipe. Make sure you let the butter cool slightly before using.
- Sour cream – or Greek yogurt. Straight out of the fridge is fine.
- Buttermilk – store bought is best. But it’s easy to make your own at home. This is one of the ingredients that helps make these muffins moist!
- Eggs – I used large eggs.
- Vanilla extract – I have a great recipe for this here!
- Lemon extract – this is different to essence or flavoring. Extract is a pure lemon oil from actual lemons!
Lemon Glaze
- Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar.
- Lemon juice – just use the juice from the lemons you zested for the muffins.
- Heavy cream – or milk.
How to make Lemon Streusel Muffins!
- Zest the lemon into a bowl with the sugar and rub together using your hands.
- Add all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients into jug or bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add wet to dry.
- Mix until well combined.
- To make the streusel – mix all the ingredients together until they look crumbly like little bits of dough about the size of corn.
- Line your muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Use a scoop to scoop out the batter
- Distribute evenly amongst 12 muffin liners
- Add the streusel on top and bake
- Drizzle with lemon drizzle which you make by mixing all ingredients together. Serve.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar to help release the oils and get a stronger lemon flavor.
- Make sure you let your butter cool slightly before using in the batter and streusel.
- Streusel can be made a couple days in advance.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Scrub your lemon before zesting to remove any wax it might have on the outside.
- Measure things out using kitchen scales for a no-fail and great pound cake! Cup measurements vary way too much and so do the results.
- Add your favorite fruit like blueberries, strawberries in the flour before making the batter for a berry sensation!
- Add 1/3 cup (20g) of poppy seeds for some added flair and texture!
- Take care not to overmix the batter. Mix only until no dry ingredients are showing.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lemon Streusel Muffins
What does it taste like?
Lemony, but not over the top! There’s a deliciously aromatic lemon flavor in the muffins with a yummy tangy drizzle on top!
How do I store these?
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They’re even more moist the next day!
Can I freeze these lemons?
Yep! Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months! Thaw and serve.
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
If you loved this recipe, check these out!
-
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
-
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
-
Sugar-Free Mini Banana Muffins
-
Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
-
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
-
Moist Lemon Pound Cake
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Lemon Streusel Muffins
Serves 12
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter melted
- 2/3 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp milk
Lemon Muffins
- 2 1/4 cups (337 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (165 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 lemons zested
- 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter melted
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract not flavoring!
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (155 g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp heavy cream warmed
Instructions
Streusel Topping
- Add the all ingredients to a mixing bowl and use a fork to mix until combined and little pea sized crumbs form. Set aside.
Lemon Muffins
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 180C / 320F. Line your muffin tin with muffin liners. I just used cupcake liners. They’re smaller than traditional muffins.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine.
- Add the butter, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon extract to a small mixing bowl and whisk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a hand whisk to mix until no dry ingredients are showing. Some little bits of flour are ok, they’ll bake away. Just take care not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin liners. Sprinkle the streusel crumbs on top. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes or until the edges of the muffins are golden. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.
Lemon Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream in a bowl using a whisk. Drizzle the glaze on top, sprinkle with more lemon zest, slice and serve. Drizzle glaze on top of the cooled or warm muffins with a spoon and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
3 comments
Guess the one star rating was your way of politely asking?
I made these muffins yesterday to take to Girls’ Game Night with some friends. The muffins got rave reviews and my friends loved the lemon flavoring without it being overpowering. The muffins have a soft and spongy texture. The reasoning for 4 stars and not 5 are attributed to a couple things but by no means deal breakers…I used melted butter as indicated for the topping and the consistency was more paste-like than a crumbled version as noted in the instructions. So, maybe next time I will try using softened butter instead. Secondly, and my mistake for not reading the entire blog post, it is not stated in the instructions to mix the sugar and lemon zest together first for a stronger lemon flavor. This step is only mentioned as a tip within the post.
Thanks for the feedback Pam! Glad you enjoyed the muffins! N x