Mackinac Island Blueberry Lemon Muffins - Cooks Country

By norsegal8

We were after big, bold lemon-blueberry muffins. A tablespoon of lemon zest in the batter added plenty of vibrant citrus flavor. Sour cream made the muffins’ crumb more tender and enhanced the lemon tang. Rather than dipping each muffin in melted butter and sugar (as is done with the muffins made at the Hotel Iroquois, which inspired this recipe), we took an easier route: We brushed the batter with butter and sprinkled lemon sugar over top before baking. This sugar gently caramelized into a sweet, crunchy shell as the muffins baked.

Ingredients

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• 12 12 muffins
• 1 1/2 (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 5 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 1/2 (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 7 1/2 (1 1/2 cups) frozen blueberries

Preparation

Step 1

To prevent streaks of blue in the batter, leave the blueberries in the freezer until the last possible moment. Frozen blueberries make this a year-round recipe; fresh blueberries may be substituted, if desired. If your lemons are small, buy an extra one to ensure that you’re able to get 5 teaspoons of zest.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray 12-cup muffin tin, including top, with vegetable oil spray. Combine ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons lemon zest in small bowl; set aside.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Whisk sour cream, 5 tablespoons melted butter, eggs, remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest together in large bowl.

3. Using rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into sour cream mixture until just combined. Fold in blueberries until just evenly distributed; do not overmix. Using greased 1/3-cup dry measuring cup or #12 portion scoop, portion batter among cups in prepared muffin tin; evenly distribute any remaining batter among cups. Brush batter with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with sugar-zest mixture (about 1 teaspoon per muffin cup).

4. Bake until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.