Lemon lovers rejoice! These muffins provide a triple whammy of lemon love, including both fresh lemon juice and zest in the batter and more fresh juice in the glaze.
In case you didn’t know, I’m a big portion of dessert kind of girl. I never take just a bite. I like the process of enjoying a big cookie and a big slice of cake. However, there’s something sweet about these smaller-sized muffins. They’re perfect for that afternoon craving or a sweet bite at brunch.
Gluten-Free Lemon Streusel Muffins
Serves ~ 8
(Gluten-free; Dairy-free Option)
Ingredients:
Crumb Topping
¾ cup gluten-free one-for-one baking flour
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter melted*
Glaze
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
Pinch of salt
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Muffin Batter
1 cup gluten-free one-for-one baking flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup sour cream**
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with liners or use a generous coat of baking spray.
To make the crumb topping, whisk together the flour and sugars in a bowl. Using a fork, gradually add the flour mixture to the melted butter and incorporate until the desired crumb is achieved. I like various-sized crumbs, leaving some big, some medium and some small. Set aside.
To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, salt and lemon juice until smooth and shiny. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. One by one, beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Add in sour cream and beat until batter is creamy and well combined.
Pour batter into muffin liners, distributing equally, about 8. Place the crumb topping on top of each muffin batter equally.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan. Once set, about 10-15 minutes, muffins (with liners on) can be removed from pan and placed on a cooling rack.
Once completely cooled, drizzle the glaze over the muffin tops.
Notes:
If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, you can swap out the butter and sour cream with plant-based alternatives. Doing so might bring more liquid into the batter so you might need to add more flour. If you give this a try, let me know how it works out for you.