Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping - Mama Needs Cake® (2024)

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These lemon muffins are made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and topped with a crumbly and delicious streusel topping.

The lemon muffins are moist and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy flavorful streusel topping. The burst of lemon flavor from the freshly squeezed lemon juice is truly delightful.

Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping - Mama Needs Cake® (1)

The crumb topping adds an extra layer of sweetness and crunch, making these muffins a favorite family recipe. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, these lemon muffins will be a hit with the whole family.

Ingredients in Lemon Muffins with streusel topping

all-purpose flour
baking powder
salt
unsalted butter
granulated sugar
brown sugar
lemon zest (zest of one lemon)
pure vanilla extract
lemon extract
eggs
whole milk
vegetable oil

Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping - Mama Needs Cake® (2)

Ingredients in lemon muffin crumb topping:

unsalted butter
all-purpose flour
granulated sugar
brown sugar
lemon extract

Ingredients in lemon glaze:

unsalted butter
confectioners sugar
lemon juice

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RELATED: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

How to Make Bakery-Style Lemon Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Make the crumb topping - In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter together with the granulated sugar and the all-purpose flour. Use two forks or a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients together until the mixture is small and crumbly.

Preheat the oven - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

Combine the dry ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, mix together the spooned and leveled flour, baking powder, and salt.

Combine the wet ingredients - Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Next, Add in the eggs and beat on medium until well combined.

Combine the dry ingredients - Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the batter is no longer dry.

Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping - Mama Needs Cake® (4)

Fill the muffin tin - Divide the batter evenly into the 12 paper muffin liners. Drop two tablespoons of streusel topping on top of the batter and press down gently into the batter to make the streusel stick.

Bake - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Check the center of a muffin with a toothpick to check for doneness.

Cool - Cool muffins for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack or storing them.

Make the lemon glaze - In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar together with the lemon extract, lemon juice, and milk.

Tips for Making Homemade Muffins

Use fresh ingredients. This recipe does use lemon extract but it also calls for the use of lemon zest. Lemon zest brings a bright flavor to this recipe that definitely would be missed if it was omitted.

Don't over-mix the batter. Overmixing muffin batters result in dry and crumbly muffins. The goal for these muffins is a light and airy texture.

Keep an eye on the oven. Every oven is different and it may cause variations in your results. If your oven runs hot, make sure to check the muffins with a toothpick sooner than later to prevent overbaking.

Don't overfill the muffin cups. Aim for ⅔ of the way full to prevent overflowing.

Cool the muffins properly. Allow these lemon muffins and all muffins to cool before removing them from the tins. They will crumble if removed before cooling.

Use muffin liners. Muffin liners are great to use instead of spraying the liners with nonstick spray. Liners make it much easier to remove the muffins from the pans.

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How to Store Homemade Muffins with fresh lemon zest

With their light, fluffy texture and burst of flavor, these lemon muffins are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Enjoy these muffins warm out of the oven, or store them in an airtight container.

They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 or 5 days- if they last that long!

Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping - Mama Needs Cake® (7)

RECOMMENDED: Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Yogurt

Tools Needed to Make Muffins

The basic tools you need to make muffins are:

Easy-to-Make Baked Goods

This lemon muffin recipe creates light and fluffy muffins with a slightly tart flavor and is easy to follow. Make these bakery-quality muffins right at home and leave a comment below if you made them!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

Lemon Muffins

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest (approx. zest of one lemon)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
2 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt

Crumb Topping

¼ cup butter, melted
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon Glaze

3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Make the Streusel Topping

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter together with the granulated sugar and the all-purpose flour.
Use two forks or a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients together until the mixture is small and crumbly.

Make the Lemon Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the spooned and leveled flour, baking powder, and salt.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and lemon extract until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
Next, Add in the eggs and beat on medium until well combined.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the batter is no longer dry.
Divide the batter evenly into the 12 paper muffin liners. Drop two tablespoons of streusel topping on top of the batter and press down gently into the batter to make the topping stick.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Check the center of a muffin with a toothpick to check for doneness.
Cool muffins for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack and drizzling with glaze.

Make the Lemon Glaze

In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar together with the lemon extract, lemon juice, and milk.
Combine until the mixture is smooth.
Add a little more milk to adjust the drizzle to your liking. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Notes

These muffins will stay good for four to five days.

For a lemon glaze without the buttery flavor, replace the butter with milk by adding a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

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Dana

Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.

Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.