Lemon Muffins

November 7, 2012

lemOn muffins | une gamine dans la cuisine

A tiny post for a sweet & easy recipe.

Tweets aside, *ahem* I usually try to retain a journalistic-like neutrality when it comes to certain issues. So please, just this once allow me to speak freely by saying how incredibly proud I am of our President! The election was long and brutal (on both sides). It's over. I'm over the moon, I'm walking on air, I'm just...I can breathe again.

Maybe now we can all just take a breath, dunk a few cookies into a shared glass of cold milk, and bring our level of arguing back down to casual library mode. ♥

lemOn muffins | une gamine dans la cuisine

My refrigerator had two sad lemons that were looking for a recipe to live in. I was more than happy to oblige. You can literally whip up a batch of these muffins in a matter of minutes. And since it's okay to toss on the glaze while they're still warm, gratification is almost instantaneous.

The muffins are not too sweet, which makes them pair perfectly with a cup of hot tea (I recommend almond!).

Without even realizing, I somehow ended up eating five in one sitting. They're that whimsical and airy. Stash several at will. ;)

lemOn muffins | une gamine dans la cuisine

Lemon Muffins
yields 12-14 muffins

for the muffins
2 cups granulated sugar
zest from 2 large lemons (roughly 2 Tablespoons of zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 room temperature eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (that's 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp.
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

for the glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter (or line) muffin tins. {Note: This will make 12-14 muffins, so have 14 ready, just in case..}

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it's moist and fragrant. Add the flour, baking Soda, and salt. Whisk and set the bowl aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, melted butter, and lemon juice. {It may look slightly curdled. That's okay.} Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir/fold just until moistened. Try not to over mix or the muffins will be tough. grrr.
Pour into prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full for each).
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into  center muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and onto a cooling rack. As the muffins cool, prepare the glaze.

Glaze: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. If the glaze is too thick (you're aiming for runny) slowly start to add the remaining Tablespoon of juice until it's the right consistency.

Gently pry the muffins out of the tin and place them on a sheet of parchment paper, or anything else that you won't mind making sticky. Use a whisk or the end of a fork to drizzle the glaze over the muffins. Enjoy!

Muffins can be stored at room temperature for about two days.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

36 comments:

  1. I love muffin recipes with sour cream. They make for such a moist product. And as for lemon, it is one of my favorite flavors. Simply perfect anytime of the year.

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  2. Very Pretty! I have a few lemons hanging out in my fridge, they better watch their backs!
    It was a close Presidential race, now that Obama is back in I hope the two sides can work together to do some good solid work for the country;-) Hope that was an okay comment to leave on a lemon muffin post,lol!

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  3. I could never say no to a gorgeous lemon muffin! These look like sunshine!

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  4. Pairing these with almond tea sounds just perfect. :-) I too am so glad the election is over. Phew. :-)

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  5. The sour cream must make them so moist and rich - perfect! :-)

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  6. Valerie - I adore anything with lemon. These muffins are a true work of art and I need to make them very soon. Lovely photos!

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  7. these babies have GOT to be rich and moist - 2 sticks of butter, 4 eggs, and a cup of sour cream for 1 dozen. I LOVE the way you think! They look and sound fabulous!

    And pretty pics with the pale yellow against the dark surface. Striking and so pretty!

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  8. Irresistible! I'm a big fan of lemony treats, so I'd gobble those lovely muffins in no time...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  9. I love everything about these muffins! 1.) they are muffins, 2.) they are lemon, 3.) they are not too sweet, 4.) they are glazed, 5.) they are in beautiful photos and 6.) I would like one now, please! Lovely, Valerie!

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  10. These look and sound amazing! I think I will throw some poppy seeds into the batter, oh yum!

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  11. haha I'm right there with you. I always try to keep my political opinions to myself but I was so happy I just lost it. And a few Twitter followers, I'm sure. What a great recipe!

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  12. I truly adore all things lemon. Your writing has, as always, brought a big smile to my face, V. I'm so envious of your talent! Looks like I'll have to whip up a batch of these muffins so I feel better :-)

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  13. I agree with everything Carol said. Win, win, win! If only the same thing could always be said about politics.

    And being Canadian, I tried to say even less than you about the election. One or two facebook "likes" and not another word from me.

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  14. Five in one sitting? I would do that too if my waistline wouldn't suffer. Great pics.

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  15. Hahaha, If you ate 5, I'd probably eat 6 or more. I have a hard time saying NO to delicious goodies, specially when there's lemons involved!

    By the way, I LOVE your comment about your Dad's house getting liberated! I HATE war and can not in my mind comprehend why men would want to wage war + fight + possibly die...I mean, I have these thoughts that what if there was another world war - where would we hide? where would we go? will I ever see my children again? I will go mad if I witness or suffer any atrocities.

    Why can't we all just get along? Why can't we solve problems with, say, a bake-off? Everybody wins that way! Hahaha! Wish it were that simple :)

    Sorry about the ranting...Have a wonderful weekend ahead, and I'm so very happy for your re-elected President!

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  16. Valerie, these muffins look like perfection. I totally love that you had 5, they must be awesome :)

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  17. Mmm I love snacking on a sweet treat with tea, and these look perfect and oh so airy! Good thing I happen to have two, wrinkly old lemons hiding in the back of my fridge :)

    P.S. Just discovered your blog and it's absolutely adorable!

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  18. dw spent most of tuesday night pacing and stressing. i finally went to bed at 11, cus thus far, i've only voted for winners. :)

    five in one sitting! that is dangerous girl...

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  19. Lemon muffins are a delight and I would have done the same thing and eaten maybe just 1 more than you. Actually for some reason I am trying hard not to eat carbs and sweets much so I can loose a few lbs.,but if you read my blog you wouldn't know that :)Nice muffins.

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  20. MMMm...we are huge muffin fans in this house - these look great!

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  21. Valerie, simple yet very elegant and sure very delicious! Beautiful... :)

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  22. i just want to eat like 8 of these gorgeous muffins drizzled in that glaze - they look wonderful! and i love the idea of pairing them with almond tea, i could totally go for this right now!

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  23. These are delightful Valerie...love lemon treat, and afraid I would most likely not stop at 5 :)

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  24. I love these cute little muffins. Citrus season is soon around the corner and your recipe will come in handy. Thanks for sharing!

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  25. I agree with Jen-let's solve problems with a bake-off;)These are the kinds of muffins I love: citrus and a light glaze, not too sweet and perfect for breakfast. Lovely, Valerie:)

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  26. Sad lemons turned into the most amazing muffins ever! That glaze is so inviting!

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  27. I love lemon anything. Pinning now...

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  28. These little tangy sweet treats would make my afternoon tea break even more delightful!

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  29. I grew up making lemon muffins but haven't really seen them since- and I don't have the recipe. But... now I do! Thanks! This will totally be a trip down memory lane!

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  30. My husband has been asking why I haven't made anything lemon lately...he will be thrilled I found these to try :)

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  31. I wasn't that caught up in the whole election thing since it happened to be Tiffany's birthday on that day and was busy making a cake for my little lady bug, but sure I was glad everything was over.
    These muffins look great! I would have totally eaten 5 too!
    Thanks for sharing

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  32. what lovely muffins! i love lemons in pastries - can't wait to try this recipe!

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  33. I made these last night!! YUMMM!!! So rich and perfectly sweet with a ton of lemon flavor. I can't get enough! I actually made them with buttermilk instead of sour cream because I forgot to pick up sour cream at the grocery store, and they turned out perfect. Thanks!! Just curious- what is your policy on blogging about your recipes? If I can get some good photos, I'd love to post about these some day. Obviously, I will credit you and use my own photos, etc, but I know some people have strong opinions either way and I want to respect your work!

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  34. @The Food Hound, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the muffins! (Sour cream and buttermilk are deliciously interchangeable.)

    As long as you provide the proper credit you may use a photo. Please just be sure to mention where the recipe came from too...this muffin recipe is from Taste of Home (the link is at the bottom of the recipe). Thanks! :)

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  35. I didn't have any lemons on hand, so I used orange where ever it called for lemon and they came out delicious! I used buttermilk instead of sour cream as well because I made these on a whim this morning but they came out great! And the glaze is AMAZING, adds just the right amount of sweetness to them.

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  36. @Anon: Oranges and buttermilk are beautiful companions. :) I'm so happy to hear that you fell in love with the muffins!

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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