Raspberry Lemon Muffins

Raspberry Lemon Muffins are packed with bright flavors and beautiful colors. They’re the perfect spring muffin, great for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any day!

These raspberry lemon muffins are a recipe I grew up with, and it was always a good day when they were on the menu. I think the recipe originally came from a Pillsbury recipe booklet, as in the kind they used to sell in the checkout line at the grocery store. Any other 90s babies remember those?

I’ve also turned the recipe into a Raspberry Lemon Crumb Cake, but there’s really nothing like the classic right? They’re also a similar flavor to this Blackberry Lemon Bread. The only thing I’ve changed this time (I really can’t help myself) was allowing the frozen raspberries to thaw before stirring them into the batter. While the muffins were always pretty with their crisp, sugary tops and the colorful bursts of raspberry inside, thawing the berries really took it to the next level. The inside still has raspberries studded throughout, but there’s also a hint of pink to them too from berries bursting as I mixed the batter. So pretty! And so perfect for spring too. I feel like these would be the perfect addition to your Easter or Mother’s Day brunch menu.

Ingredients

Oil: You can use any flavorless oil. Some of my favorites for baking are canola, vegetable, or avocado for a healthier option.

Plain Yogurt: Yogurt is such a great ingredient for creating moist, flavorful muffins. Use unflavored, plain yogurt, and full fat is best. Thick yogurts, such as Greek or Icelandic, won’t have enough moisture for this batter, so avoid using them.

Lemon Juice: For the lemon juice, cut open a lemon after zesting it and squeeze out the juice. It’s a great way to use all of the fruit!

Eggs: Eggs add moisture, and the protein they  contain is crucial to creating the light, soft texture of the muffins.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla helps accentuate and enhance flavors, even if it’s not the star of the show.

Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens these muffins and also helps them develop a lovely, golden, crusty top.

Lemon Zest: Lemon zest has the strongest concentration of lemon flavor, since it has most of the essential oil. Make sure to grate off just the yellow outer skin, while avoiding the bitter white pith.

Flour: All-purpose flour is the best for these muffins. Something with more gluten (like bread flour) will give a tougher consistency.

Baking Powder: Baking powder is a key rising agent, giving the muffins lift and softness.

Baking Soda: Another rising agent that interacts with the acidic ingredients to help the muffins rise.

Salt: Salt is a key ingredient in any baked good to enhance and round out all of the flavors.

How to Make Raspberry Lemon Muffins

• Start by lining your muffin tin with paper cups or greasing them well. Preheat the oven to 400F.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs until they’re smooth.
• In a separate, larger mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients–flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest– until thoroughly mixed. Toss the raspberries in the flour mixture to lightly coat them in flour, then create a well in the center of the bowl by gently pushing the flour up the sides of the bowl.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the center of the dry, and gently stir just until the batter has come together and there is no more flour visible.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, then generously sprinkle the top of each one with a heaping 1/2 tsp. of sugar.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
• Remove from the oven and cool before enjoying
• Store the muffins in an airtight container or bag on the counter or in the pantry.

Recipe Notes

• If you only have Greek yogurt on hand, you can use it by replacing three tablespoons of yogurt with milk. Whisk the milk and yogurt together before adding the other wet ingredients.
• You can use fresh or frozen raspberries, but if you want the batter and muffins to be pink, you’ll need to use frozen raspberries and allow them to thaw before mixing them in.
• Don’t overmix your batter–simply stir until there’s no more flour visible. Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour, which gives you tough, chewy muffins.
• In order to have your muffins turn out the same size, I recommend using a portioning scoop. This one from Oneida makes perfectly sized muffins and is a great all around ice cream/cookie/portioning scoop to have on hand.
• Don’t be skimpy with the sugar on top! It may seem like a lot, but it’s what will give you the crackly, crusty top.
• If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can use stiff parchment muffin cups (like these ones) and simply line them up on a baking sheet!

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