This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These glazed lemon muffins taste just like spring! They’re moist lemon muffins with a simple glaze, perfect for an afternoon treat!
Hi guys!! I took an unplanned little break this week. Not a big break, but I didn’t post anything new for you on Monday and I haven’t been posting over on Instagram for the past few days. Last week I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to keep 3 small kids entertained 24/7 and figuring out Oscar’s “virtual” schooling in the mornings, as well as all the dishes and feeding and sweeping and laundry and well, you know. All of it. It’s been a big change having everyone home ALL OF THE TIME, as I’m sure so many of you can relate to!
I needed a little break for my mental sanity. But you know what? When I take a break for more than a few days I actually start to miss it all. Ok, maybe not ALL of it, but I do miss interacting with all of you on social media and posting new things here! So, I’m back at you today with these NEW glazed lemon muffins! Hooray!
Am I the only one that feels like lemon just SCREAMS spring? And I am looooonging for spring these days. Sometimes it actually feels and smells like spring, but then Mother Nature just gives a little snicker and dumps more snow all over the place. Seriously. I know snow can be magical, but the magic wore off around January 1. PLEASE just let the green grass shine!?
Anyway.
Are these healthy lemon muffins?
I certainly wouldn’t classify these muffins as “healthy” since they’ve got that whole powdered sugar glaze going on, but they’re also not the WORST. They’re sweetened with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of honey so they definitely aren’t over the top sweet. Just sweet enough to feel like you’re having a nice little treat without going overboard on a piece of cake!
We served our muffins with some tea and a couple slices of apple on the side. It was a terrific snack!
How do you make glazed lemon muffins?
I always like to start recipes like these by having everything out and ready, including zesting and juicing the lemons! This recipe also uses melted butter, so I like to start by melting the butter so it has a chance to cool down.
You’ll need 3 whole lemons for this recipe, including the lemon glaze!
Whisk together the dry ingredients, then in a separate bowl, combine the wet. Make sure that melted butter is cool enough that it won’t scramble your eggs!
Once you’re ready to combine the dry and the wet together, add the zest and stir gently to combine. We want these muffins to be light and fluffy, so be sure not to overmix!
No arm-workouts needed here 🙂
I love using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop with a lever to fill my muffin cups. It’s virtually mess-free and you can make sure you have an even number of batter in each muffin tin cavity!
The muffins take about 16-17 minutes in the oven.
How do you make the lemon glaze?
Now comes the fun part.
The muffins are delicious on their own, but the simple lemon glaze definitely takes the flavor up a notch! Make sure your muffins are at room temperature before pouring the glaze on, or it’ll just melt right into the muffin.
Once the muffins are completely cooled, whisk together about 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with the juice of one whole lemon, and 2 teaspoons of zest. If the glaze is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar! Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the tops of the muffins, and serve immediately!
The final result?
A light, cakey, sweet yet slightly tart muffin that makes these long afternoons a little bit lighter!
These muffins keep just fine at room temperature for a few days; however, if you store the muffins in an airtight container, the glaze might melt into the muffin a little bit. I actually keep a little bit of glaze in a seperate container so I can add a little extra to the muffins before eating the leftovers!
If you’d like to freeze these, I suggest freezing the muffins without the glaze, and adding the glaze afterwards. The muffins will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months! Perfect for a little springtime muffin emergency!
I hope you’re all hanging in there! Stay tuned for my next 3-ingredient recipe, coming up on Monday!
XO
Some other muffin recipes and lemon delights from the blog:
Print
Glazed Lemon Muffins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These glazed lemon muffins taste just like spring! They’re moist lemon muffins with a simple glaze, perfect for an afternoon treat!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- juice and zest of 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup milk**
Lemon Glaze
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups of powdered sugar***
- juice of 1 lemon + 2 tsp zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper muffin liners. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and soda and sea salt. Whisk in the granulated sugar.
- In another bowl, whisk the melted butter (cooled to room temperature) with the eggs and honey. Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add in the juice of both lemons and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and give it a couple of stirs. Add in the milk, then stir again. Add in the lemon zest and stir just until there are no remaining dry streaks. The batter will be fairly thick!
- Divide the muffin batter evenly between the muffin tin, and bake for 16-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. If it still has batter attached to it, bake for an additional few minutes before checking again. Remove the muffins from the oven and after 5 minutes, remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the lemon glaze. Ensure the muffins are completely cool, then whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. If the glaze seems too runny, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze all over the muffins. Enjoy immediately!
Muffins keep well at room temperature, for 2-3 days, or in the freezer (unglazed) for up to 2 months.
Notes
*I usually use plain Greek yogurt. You can use any plain yogurt you have, or sour cream (or lemon yogurt)!
**Use any milk you have on hand, including dairy-free or full-fat milk
***Add more powdered sugar if needed, to get the right consistency for a glaze.
****The glaze may begin to melt into the muffins if they are kept in an airtight container. I like to keep a bit of extra glaze on hand to add to the leftover muffins!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
I need to add some of these glazed lemon muffins to my spring. I love how you added the lemon zest, that is such a good idea. Yum!
Yes you do!! There is just something so spring/summer about lemon right!? Thanks pal!!
I LOVE these gorgeous muffins and photos Katherine, and that pour of icing from the pitcher is so elegant! I really hope you had a good and restorative break, they are so necessary and healing. I just wish they could last a bit longer!
Thank you so much Catherine!! Breaks are definitely restorative, and they never last as long as they should!
Yummmm!!!! These are just a delight – sunshine in a muffin! Obsessed with the glaze too!!
Thanks Haylie! There’s something so happy about lemon in baked goods! 🙂
Oh wow that looks incredibly delicious! I love a good lemon muffin. These are super fluffy and that glaze looks amazing.
Mmm love lemon in all baked goods!! So good!!
Hi Katherine, I had some Meyer lemons given to me which made these very golden yellow and they have that sort of perfume of lemon flavor. They turned out super soft and fluffy! I glazed them with a very liberal amount and didn’t take my glaze to a “white” consistency, just cloudy. I only had sour cream, which worked perfectly, and we only use almond milk, still a very beautiful crumb and super moist.