Saturday, March 31, 2012

Meyer Lemon Muffins

I think I’m dedicating this week to lemons.  It seems appropriate as spring is almost here; the sun is shining more than usual, some of the snow has melted, I’ve started running again, and I’ve worn my Birkenstocks at least once!  Though some might say it was a little premature, I was still pleased.  The only thing I don’t enjoy about spring is how wet everything is.  Hopefully everything dries off soon and the weather warms up.

I was attempting to find another recipe to use the rest of the Meyer Lemons my friend Bobbi gave me, and was intrigued by the use of the whole lemon.  I have never tried it before, much less thought of it, so I was nervous.  I admit I love how they turned out, however Gavin didn’t care for them.  There was a slight bitter taste (if I had to describe it I would say it reminded me of marmalade-the reason why Gavin didn’t like it) but the muffin itself was quite moist.  The cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top of the muffin apparently helps balances out the bitterness of the lemon so it’s not too overpowering.  I added dried cranberries for a little extra flavor and thought that it added a nice taste to the muffins.  I think next time I make these I will try a lemon glaze as opposed to the cinnamon-sugar topping and see how it turns out.  But in the meantime, it’s a light, moist muffin perfect for your breakfast needsJ

Meyer Lemons Muffins

(makes approximately 14-16 muffins)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 Meyer Lemons, divided

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup dried cranberries

½ teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pans with 14-16 liners and coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, salt. Make a well in the centre and set aside.

Mix together the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cut two lemons into 1-inch pieces. Place in a blender, pulse until finely chopped. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Whisk in the milk, butter and chopped lemon until well combined.

Stir the lemon mixture into the bowl with the flour. Add in the cranberries and mix until all the ingredients are just moistened. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each half full. Sprinkle approximately one-fourth teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin.

Cut the remaining lemon into 9 paper thin slices, and then cut each slice in half. Top the muffins with the half slice.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick is inserted into the centre and comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a wire wrack. Serve warm, or store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

Source: slightly adapted from Gastronomy, originally from the Los Angeles Times