These moist raspberry lemon muffins are full of fresh raspberries! The lemon glaze on top puts them over the edge. Perfect for breakfast…or dessert! Originally published January 24, 2014.
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So, if I’ve understood correctly, you all are tired of this whole winter thing. I don’t think a day has passed in the new year that I haven’t seen a social media post of someone’s snow-blanketed backyard. I’m not complaining, I’ve been there.
But…I’m not there anymore, and I have to say that I felt pretty fabulous today as I drove around town with the sunlight streaming into my rolled-down windows. California may be full of a bunch of crazy people, but the weather kind of makes up for it.
Moist raspberry lemon muffins with fresh lemon glaze
To all of you who are virtually clawing my eyes out right now, I offer you springtime muffins. Look! They’re so happy! When you eat them (all of them…at least I did), close your eyes and think of tulips, and you will be able to forget about the massive snowstorm out your window. I promise.
Key ingredients
- We’re using the zest of a whole lemon (plus the juice!), which is where that bright, citrusy flavor really shines. Just be sure to avoid the white pith when zesting. It can give your muffins a bitter taste.
- Fresh raspberries add juicy pops of sweetness to these muffins. You can also use frozen raspberries. Just toss them into the batter straight from the freezer; there’s no need to thaw them.
- Sour cream is the secret to ultra-moist, ultra-tender muffins.
How to make raspberry lemon-glazed muffins
Preheat your oven and grease your muffin pan. Let your raspberries dry completely after rinsing.
Mix your dry ingredients separately, then stir together the wet ingredients until smooth. When you combine everything, don’t over mix. Stop when the batter is just coming together for the most tender muffins.
Don’t forget to lightly flour the raspberries so they don’t sink to the bottom. Be gentle so they don’t fall apart.
Fill each space in the muffin tin with about 3 tablespoons of batter and bake until lightly golden and set in the center. Let them cool slightly before glazing.
To make the glaze, simmer lemon juice and sugar until syrupy, then brush it over the warm muffins and dip them in lemon sugar for that extra pop of flavor. I like to serve these warm, but they are also delicious at room temp.
How to store
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, pop them in the fridge to keep them fresh a little longer (about 4–5 days total).
How to reheat
Warm the muffins in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds to bring back that soft, just-baked texture. If they’ve been refrigerated, give them a few extra seconds.
Can I freeze leftovers?
Yes! These muffins freeze beautifully! Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave straight from frozen for a quick treat.
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Raspberry Lemon-Glazed Muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 lemon, completely zested
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 stick, melted
- 1 & 1/4 cups sour cream
- 1 & 1/2 cups raspberries
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
- 1/3 cup sugar
- lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Grease a muffin pan; set aside.
- Rinse the raspberries and let them sit out to dry.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, stir together the egg and 1 cup of sugar until it forms a paste. Add half of the lemon zest, or at least a teaspoon. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, stirring until just combined.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour mixture. Stop when it is not quite combined all the way.
- Sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour over the raspberries, toss to coat, and immediately fold them into the batter. Be gentle, those little guys are fragile. Mix until the raspberries are incorporated, but don’t overdo it.
- Spoon the batter into the greased muffin pan. You want about 3 tablespoons of batter per muffin.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let set for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the muffins are setting up and cooking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan combine the ¼ cup sugar with the ¼ cup fresh lemon juice. Turn the heat to medium and stir to combine. Let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has become syrupy, about 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar with the remaining lemon zest, or at least a teaspoon.
- Brush the top of each muffin liberally with the lemon glaze. Dip the tops of the glazed muffins into the sugar-zest mixture. These are best served warm.
Just made these and they are delicious! Used some whole wheat flour and had blueberries to eat up. I used the colorful silicone cups that I had bought and not used yet. They turned out great. I can freeze them and put them in the top of the dishwasher. Had extra batter so I made some doughnuts in my new doughnut pan that I haven’t used either. They were a little bumpy because this is a thick batter, but the better to hold the glaze and lemon sugar with! They both turned out awesome and I got to use all my new baking stuff. Thanks!
Oh my gosh!! I so need to turn these into donuts!! You’re a genius Sara!!
These were very good, I doubled the batch and made raspberry as one half and blueberry with the other. Both very good with the lemon. I personally think the glaze with the sugar dip is too much, but the kids were in heaven! lol, have a great day, all.
Glad they turned out well for you Marcia!
I don’t know what went wrong, but these didn’t turn out well for me. And I’m usually a good baker.
Bummer Vanessa! These remain some of my favorites.
Well, I have frozen Meyer lemon juice (from when they were in season) & raspberries picked from my garden – if these aren’t scrumptious, I don’t know what is.
Awesome, D! I need to try these muffins with Meyers! That would be fabulous. My neighbor has a tree and I’m always in her yard nabbing some :) irresistible!
These look amazing!!!! I was just wondering: is there an alternative to the sour cream? My husband is lactose intolerant but I would love to make these for a dinner date.
Hey Edi! I’ve never tried this with anything but sour cream. I know greek yogurt would work, but obviously that’s dairy. There’s lots of buzz about cashew cream these days; maybe you could try out something like this http://mywholefoodlife.com/2014/03/18/dairy-free-sour-cream/ Other than a vegan sour cream substitute I don’t have any suggestions for you. Let me know what you try!
So I made these this morning. I do not have silicone muffin pans, so I had to use old fashion paper and muffin tins. Not sure if silicone are different size, but my batch made 18 muffins and they took a lot longer to bake. That being said, they are delicious, love the lemon sugar that you dip in the end!
Valerie, I’m glad you are an experienced enough baker that they turned out for you instead of being a flop! I feel like the silicone pan was just a tiny bit smaller, but honestly not by much. I filled mine up pretty high. Well in any case, I’m glad they worked for you :) And I’m with you on the lemon sugar dip, it totally makes it!!
Beautiful photographs, and the muffins that I made looked exactly like those in the photos. But I didn’t find this to be a good recipe. The muffins were pretty flavorless (and I even added lemon extract after tasting the batter) and the texture was really off. The raspberries were the best part. I have another lemon muffin recipe that I like very much, so I’ll add raspberries the next time I make that one.
Thanks for commenting Lisa! I’m sorry you didn’t love the recipe. Good thing you have another one up your sleeve!
This recipe is to DIE for! I’m a college student trying to eat healthy on a budget, and this is definitely going on my weekend treats list! It’s both practical and delicious. Thanks for sharing! :)
Paige
Hey Paige! I’m so glad you like it! You have to let me know how it goes. I totally get how it is eating healthy in college when you are poor :) At least you are making an effort. I subsisted on crackers and yogurt and vending machine cookies for 4 years.
These look awesome. The bakeware looks pretty amazing too. No more paper muffin cups!
Those look delicious! My favorite muffin in Almond Poppyseed, absolutely amazing! I would probably make those first! I hope I win! Thanks so much for the opportunity!
Your muffins look delicious! I recently discovered that I cannot eat processed sugar. What do you suggest that I replace the 1 cup sugar for? Applesauce? Honey? I am eager to hear back as I am excited to try your recipe! Thank you :)
Hi Amber! I would definitely try honey first. You may want to look up some honey-sugar conversions though, you might not need the full amount. Applesauce isn’t sweet enough. You could also try agave, although I don’t have experience with that. Let me know what works! I’m curious now. Thanks for commenting!
I love silicone baking products! I have measuring cups and an 8 inch square pan and they are awesome! I would love to win the muffin cups and pan so I can make those amazing looking Raspberry Lemon-Glazed Muffins! Thanks for the giveaway!
Ooh, I’ve never seen an 8 inch silicone square pan, that might come in handy!
I would love to win these. It would make it nice when making chocolete cupcakes.
Blueberry muffins!
I’m writing this down in my recipe book & what I need at the market. I think this will go over big for next Sunday’s family Supper, Thank You~