Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins

By Addie

Oh my god, people. Just OMG. Let’s just make this one succinct, for once? Surely, I am capable of concise thought, right? These muffins are the shockingly good. Make them.

That’s not enough? Fine. Two lemons worth of grated peel are muddled into a paste with sugar, and that sugar is used to bake a simple buttermilk and vanilla muffin that is topped with a whole fresh raspberry. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is, but the flavor is anything but. The lemon peel gives what should be a sweet, harmless muffin a bitter, intense edge, and the raspberry, an almost sour contrast whose impact rivals the best blueberry muffin you’ve ever had. What I once thought was my favorite approach to lemon cake is no longer. There’s a new muffin in town.

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
• 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 half-pint containers fresh raspberries
• ===================

Details

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 14 standard muffin cups (or 56 minis) with paper liners. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist.


Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.



Divide batter among muffin cups (the 2/3-3/4 level worked well for minis). Top each large muffin with 4 raspberries (or mini muffins with one each). Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes (baking time was on the shy side of 20 minutes for mini muffins).



Yield: 14 large or 56 miniature muffins