lemon Archives · Jess in the Kitchen

Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins

I am one of the lucky ones. My career is teaching high school math and physics. I recently had one of the most fun group of kids in an Algebra II class. They made me laugh on the regular while also still hanging on to their passion to learn. (Again, I am lucky). When this particular class learned that I was training for a marathon, they championed me, complete with a “We’re proud of you!” card when I finished. Then they learned that I had a food blog, and I suddenly gained a number of followers on my Instagram. Soon enough, I got an email request on my blog for “some strawberry muffins #lit #bestmuffinsever #yumalisous.” I told that young lady that strawberries weren’t in season, but as soon as they were, I would make a recipe for her. So without further adieu, I present Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins!

Your Ingredients

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup coconut oil, room temperature (about 70 degrees)
½ tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and diced

Your Steps to Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut should be solid but soft). Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined. Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins

Spring time flavors abound with these strawberry and lemon zest muffins. Bake up a batch today!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 24

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup coconut oil room temperature (about 70 degrees)
½ tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 cup diced strawberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut oil should be solid but soft).
Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined.
Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Fold in strawberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

Keyword Breakfast, Breakfast Bread, lemon, muffins, Strawberries, strawberry

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other breakfast Delights?

Click here to head to my breakfast page. Or let your eyes to choosing by checking out a few recipes below!

April 10, 2022April 10, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

Friends! My blueberry bushes are FINALLY producing enough blueberries to actually create with them. It brings me such joy to see these little splashes of blue among the sturdy green bushes. And while it seems to take a long time to harvest, I find it to be meditative. I do it silently and alone, taking in the sounds and smells; experiencing a nature bath. Once I harvested a pint, I got to work at creating lemon zested blueberry muffins. I have been so excited to share with everyone.

I dig using oatmeal as a base in quick breads and muffins for the added nutrition and texture. However, I don’t see it mixing well with blueberries. Maybe I am wrong, but this recipe doesn’t use them. (You can check out some that do by checking out my baking page here.) In order to attempt to add some nutrients, I went with coconut oil and some Greek yogurt. I cut the sugar slightly as well. And don’t be afraid to try a quality whole wheat for some of the flour. You may be surprised! Now let’s get baking those lemon zested blueberry muffins.

Your Ingredients for Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup coconut oil, room temperature (about 70 degrees)
½ tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (If frozen, measure frozen)

Your Steps

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

Does it get more classic than lemon and blueberry? These lemon zested blueberry muffins are more nutrient dense with all the flavor!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup coconut oil room temperature (about 70 degrees)
½ tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries If frozen, measure frozen

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut oil should be solid but soft).
Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined.
Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

Keyword blueberry, Breakfast, currant muffins, lemon, lemon blueberry

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

August 1, 2021July 27, 2021

JessLeave a comment

Red Currant and Lemon Muffins

A crazy amount of years ago, I was at a farmer’s market and tasted a small red berry. It was tart and delicious. I promptly brought a container. I remember loving them so much. What I don’t remember, however, is what type of berry they were. I was sure they were gooseberries, so I bought some bushes. Nope, not it. Then I was sure they had to have been currants. I planted a few bushes of currants, and now that they have come to fruition (haha, see what I did there? Fruition? Fruit. I am not that witty), I am still not sure that was it. So who knows what fruit I loved. But what I know is that I now have currant bushes and with them, I have created these beautifully light and sweet-tart red currant and lemon muffins.

I developed this recipe by tweaking and adjusting my favorite strawberry bread. You can find that bread by clicking here. These muffins started as currant, but screamed for some lemon zest. I dropped the cinnamon in the strawberry bread and adjusted the moisture just a little bit.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did. They were a delight to enjoy over the Fourth of July and bring me joy with a perfectly creatd cup of coffee. (I mean, is there much better than a well baked breakfast sweet with a cup of coffee? I think not.)

Your Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
¾ cup Vanilla Greek yogurt (I dig Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt for zero added sugar)
Zest of one large lemon
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup currants

Your Steps to Red Currant and Lemon Currant Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12-16 muffin wells by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time. Whisk in yogurt and lemon zest until well combined. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended in. Fold in currants.

Divide the batter among the 12-15 muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin a few minutes before removing. I think these are best served warm with a cup of coffee.

Looking for other great baking recipes? Check out my baking page by clicking the button below!

Baking

Red Currant and Lemon Muffins

The zest of lemon and tartness of currants combine to make a red currant and lemon muffins that are moist and full of pockets of delight!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Ingredients

½ cup butter softened
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
¾ cup Vanilla Greek yogurt
Zest of one large lemon
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup currants

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12-16 muffin wells by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time.
Whisk in yogurt and lemon zest until well combined.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended in.
Fold in currants.
Scoop batter into the muffin tins, filling the wells ¾ of the way full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until baked through.

Keyword currant muffins, currants, lemon, muffins

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

July 18, 2021July 18, 2021

JessLeave a comment

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies: Little Sweet, Little Savory

I know what you’re thinking, “Rosemary? In a cookie?” But yes, these lemon rosemary shortbread cookies are the type of cookies that make your tastebuds rejoice simply because they such a unique combination of flavors!

I’m a sucker for rosemary. Once I discovered the herb as a college student in a wild rice pilaf my mom started to make as a staple potluck dish, my world was changed.

I always search for places to add it, try recipes that all for it, and you can bet when I go out and find it listed on a fancy drink menu or in a sweet dish, I am intrigued. I almost always give it a try!

Recently, I saw rosemary in a shortbread cookie at a local restaurant. I gave it a try, and LOVED the flavor of a lemon-rosemary shortbread. It was light and buttery and just that hint of herb was a pleasant surprise. I had to try to duplicate it, and I think I did a bang up job (as my dad would say ). I hope you take a step outside your flavor comfort zone and try these sweet and savory lemon rosemary shortbread cookies.

Your ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (I let mine sit on the counter for a number of hours)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
zest from 1/3 of a lemon
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (I freshly squeezed it)
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 cup all purpose flour

Your Steps for Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar well. To this, mix in lemon juice, zest, ground rosemary, and honey. Mix well. Stir in flour until combined. I like small, bite sized cookies, so I rolled about 1 Tablespoon of the dough into a ball and placed on an ungreased cookie sheet. You choose your size.

Take a flat bottomed glass, press into additional powdered sugar and flattened the cookies to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until just starting to get golden brown on the edges. Let cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool. Shortbread cookies are best a few days later, but I bet you won’t be able to stop enjoying these! (This is a small batch recipe, making about 20 cookies)

soft butter creamed with sugar — Make sure your butter is super soft for easy creaming.

Mix it together! — Make sure your butter is super soft for easy creaming.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Lemon and rosemary pair together in these sweet and savory lemon rosemary shortbread cookies that will melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
zest from 1/3 of a lemon
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 cup all purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar well.
To this, mix in lemon juice, zest, ground rosemary, and honey. Mix well.
Stir in flour until combined.
Roll about 1 Tablespoon of the dough into a ball and placed on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Take a flat bottomed glass, press into additional powdered sugar and flattened the cookies to about 1/4 of an inch thick.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until just starting to get golden brown on the edges.
Let cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool.