A pillow-soft and super moist blueberry-filled muffin made with yogurt and fresh lemon zest. Breakfast never tasted so good! This is a slow-down and enjoy kind of muffin!
I’m a huge fan of muffins, but I very rarely prepare them. I know that muffins are essentially cake, so I don’t make them too often, because I can’t stop eating them.
With muffins, it’s easier too, you know? There’s no need to dirty up a plate or a knife like you’d need for cake. Muffins fit so nicely in your hand. Most of them come with a little paper liner to make grab and go easier. They’re perfectly compact and it’s just too easy to eat more than one!
If that’s not you, then it just might be the case with this Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Muffin. It’s a very moist muffin; yet it’s very light and fluffy too. The cake part is sweet and tart, and the blueberries add bright pops of colour and bursts of fresh flavour.
Because this muffin uses oil in the batter, it keeps the muffin soft. The oil also prevents the muffins from sticking if you prefer to omit the paper liner. They’ll come out of the muffin pan quite easily if you bake them right into the pan without muffin liners.
Can I use butter instead of oil?
I have never tried this recipe with butter instead of the oil, so I cannot comment on whether oil works best or not. I can, however, suggest that you use a light oil in this recipe.
Do not be tempted to use any oils that have strong flavours, such as olive oil. Use oil that is light in colour and pretty flavourless, such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
Fresh or frozen berries?
I have also not tried this recipe with frozen blueberries. I have only used fresh berries in this muffin recipe. If you must use frozen berries, be sure to test the muffins with a toothpick to see if they are baked all the way through.
Usually, whenever I bake and I use berries or fruit, I tend to go the dried route. I find that dried berries and fruit stand up better to baking. I’ve tried other recipes where the moisture content from the berries threw off the recipe completely.
That is most certainly evident in my Sour Cream Scones recipe. I also talk about it in my Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies recipe. But, because this muffin batter is so light, the fresh berries can stand up to the mixing without becoming a mushy mess.
Conclusion:
It is worth noting that due to the fact that these muffins are so fluffy and moist, they will not stand up well to freezing and thawing. They will not taste fresh and they become soggy, which is not what a good muffin should be!
The good news is that these muffins will last in your fridge for 5-7 days. Just keep them in a food safe container with a lid. I usually keep them in a cake stand with a cover. I leave them right on the counter. They never last more than 3 days in our home anyway!
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-hole muffin tin by inserting paper muffin liners into the muffin pan cavities. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat together the yogurt, sugar, and lemon zest until well mixed.
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. On low speed beat until well incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
- Add one cup of the blueberries and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the 12 muffin pan holes.
- Top the muffins with the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle over the turbinado sugar, if using. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition
Patti L. says
Hi Lord B. ! I have frozen blueberries (it’s now 3/28/20). If I let the berris thaw to let juices “drain”, shouldn’t they “behave” in these muffins like fresh berries? I thought coating them in flour may even work well, not be too moist…. What say you ??? Per usual, your recipes and anecdotes are much fun, thank you!