Lemon Muffins

Lemon Muffin with Fresh Raspberries. Yum.

These are my ideal muffins, or muffintopia if you prefer. They're tender and rich with a lemony but not too lemony flavor, have the quintessential crunchy muffin tops and go great with late summer berries. They are also low enough in calories that I don't have to feel too terrible about eating two (or three) at a sitting.

These are tender enough that they will stick to the muffin papers or tins, so don't skip the step of spraying the liners before you add the batter.

Like most muffins these freeze very well. If you don't already do so, I highly recommend doubling any muffin recipe and freezing the extra baked muffins for up to two months in a zip top bag. Reheat them in a 375 oven for 15 minutes. If you have company and have several types of muffins hanging out in your freezer at once, throw a few of each in the oven and serve a mixed media muffin basket. It impresses beyond reason.

Lemon Muffins

For the topping:
2 tablespoons (1 oz) melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup (1.25 oz) all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until crumbly and the texture of wet sand.

For the muffins:
2 cups  (9 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
1t lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup (8 oz)  plain low-fat yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place muffin liners in standard 12 muffin pan and spray the papers with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt, baking soda, and baking powder an then set aside. In a separate bowl whisk the egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just incorporated, the batter will be lumpy.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to about 2/3 full. Evenly distribute the topping among the muffins.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are turning golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition Information:
Per Muffin: 215 Calories | 7.5 g fat | 1.9 g sat fat | 297 mg sodium | 0.8 g dietary fiber | 14 g sugar | 4 g protein