Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins Recipe
Updated Jul 11, 2018, Published Oct 10, 2012
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I hate to brag but I do make some really great gluten free blueberry muffins.
Well, maybe I don’t hate to brag because evidently I have done it. I know one should not brag and boast; my mother warned me about this when I was growing up.
I was invited to brunch at a friend’s and when I asked what I could bring my friend said, “How about those blueberry muffins we have heard so much about?”
Ordinarily this would have not been a cause for concern because as I said, I make some pretty darn good blueberry muffins. However, after frantically running to three stores in search of fresh blueberries to no avail, I started to get a bit worried.
It was time to think – what to do, what to do? Sure, I could buy frozen blueberries but I am never as happy with the results; the frozen berries seem to put too much liquid into the muffins no matter how well I drain them. I decided to try using freeze dried blueberries instead. I stirred a packet of freeze dried blueberries into my muffin batter and crossed all my fingers and toes. The result? Brilliant! The blueberries baked up in the muffins juicy and plump, as if I had used fresh.
There are a couple tricks to these muffins; you cream the butter and sugar together as if making cupcakes, which results in an a lovely, light texture and they are topped with some sugar and lemon zest which gives a sweet-tart crunchy top. And let’s be honest, isn’t the top of the muffin the very best part?
Fortunately, my self-created reputation for great gluten free blueberry muffins survived intact! I suppose the moral of this story is not to brag and boast but if you do – you better deliver!
Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 ounce freeze dried blueberries
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and line the muffin cups with paper liners.
- Stir the lemon juice into the milk and let set for about 5 minutes. The milk may look a little curdled but this is OK.
- In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest with 1 tablespoon of sugar until fully blended. It is easiest to do this with your fingers because the lemon zest may be moist and tends to clump. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and remaining cup of sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and lemon milk mixture to the creamed butter starting with 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the lemon milk mixture, half the remaining flour mixture, the rest of the lemon milk mixture and the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well with a large spatula. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling the cups almost to the top. Top the batter with the lemon zest sugar mixture. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These look amazing. I love lemon and blueberries together. YUM!
Thank you Beth. I agreee, blueberries and lemons go so well together!
I’m happy the freeze-dried blueberries worked… they look absolutely amazing!!!
Thanks Cassidy – they turned out great!
There’s a really great new gluten-free flour on the market! It’s an easy conversion for any recipe and has no distracting taste or texture. Here’s the Facebook link, just in case you’re interested!!
https://www.facebook.com/DeyasGlutenFree
Thanks and I have tried their flour, it is very good.
Eager to try this but wondering if I don’t use the flour you have recommended do I need to add xanthan gum? thank you!
Yes, I would use a 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum if your flour doesn’t already have it in it.
If I do have fresh blueberries, what measurement do I use? 1 cup?
Use 1 pint (2cups). Enjoy!
I just tried this muffin recipe. They are delicious. Just wondering if the muffins can be frozen.
Hi Rita, yes! Just let them cool completely, wrap up thightly and pop in the freezer. I just stick mine frozen into the microwave for a few seconds and eat them hot but you can just thaw. Enjoy!
Just made this muffin recipe and wanted to say they are fantastic!! I always have my hubby taste the first one since he is not gluten free and he said they are the best muffins he has had :)
Yay! So happy you all liked them, thanks for letting me know!
I made these tonight for my boyfriend’s birthday (blueberry muffins are his favorite) and he said these were the best he has ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank Megan, so happy your boyfriend enjoyed them!
My family really enjoyed these, thanks for the great recipe!
So happy you all liked them!
This looks like just the recipe I was looking for! I can’t wait to try it. I’m curious as to how you’d recommend reducing the sugar, though. Any tips?
You can always try using a refined sugar like coconut sugar. My daughter in law subs the sugar with maple syrup but she isn’t sure how much, she just wings it so I don’t have an exact measurement for you. If none of that works for you, you can laways just reduce the sugar by about 1/4, I think the recipe will still work but I haven’t tried it.