Description
This recipe creates sophisticated lemon blueberry muffins with a tender crumb and a tall, bakery-style dome, thanks to a two-stage baking technique and a subtle Earl Grey glaze. The delicate fragrance of bergamot enhances the citrus and fruit flavors.
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.75 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Zest of 2 medium lemons
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 0.75 cup whole milk
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1.5 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons strongly brewed Earl Grey tea, cooled
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped candied lemon peel, for garnish
Instructions
- Infuse Milk: Gently heat the whole milk in a saucepan until simmering. Remove from heat, add tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze tea bags to extract flavor, then cool the infused milk completely.
- Prepare Oven and Tin: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of this mixture.
- Coat Blueberries: Toss the fresh blueberries with the reserved flour mixture in a small bowl to prevent sinking during baking.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled infused milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until homogenous.
- Mix Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined; do not overmix, as a lumpy batter is desired for a light texture.
- Fold in Blueberries: Gently fold the coated blueberries into the batter, avoiding crushing the berries.
- Bake Muffins: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each approximately two-thirds full. Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Muffins and Prepare Glaze: Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, cooled brewed Earl Grey tea, and lemon juice until smooth. Ensure muffins are fully cool before glazing.
- Glaze and Garnish: Drizzle the Earl Grey Glaze over the tops of the completely cooled muffins and immediately sprinkle with candied lemon peel for garnish.
Notes
Achieve bakery-style muffin tops by starting the baking at a high temperature, then lowering it. The initial high heat activates leavening for a quick rise before a crust forms. Coating fresh or frozen blueberries in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg