Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins

Lemons, rich in vitamin C, can be found all year round, but the primary season is from late winter to early summer. The zest packs a refreshing punch and the juice comes right in with a bang to reinforce the zippy taste.

So fresh, lemons can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Lemons can also serve as a natural cleaner. They help neutralize the garbage disposal, remove stains from countertops and clothes, and even act as a degreaser!

We thought about our favorite muffins, and lemon poppyseed was at the top of the list! Then, we decided that it needed a great topping. Our Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins taste like the perfect cookie and springtime in one bite! The muffins are easy to make and don’t require any special equipment.

To get started, combine the oil, sugar, salt, yogurt, honey, zest, juice, extract and eggs. Next, add in the flour, baking powder and soda. Gently stir ingredients until moistened (do not over mix). Add the poppyseeds and white chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan ¾ of the way.

For the simple sugar cookie topping, mix together the melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and flour until a rubble consistency appears. Generously add the topping to the muffins. If you have leftover, in our house, we treat it like true dough, so there’s nothing left behind!

Bake the Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins until golden, rotating the pan in the oven halfway through. Remove from the oven. Release from the muffin tin (use a spreading knife for easy release) after 10 minutes of resting in the pan and set on a cooling rack.

Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins ready for the oven

To make the glaze for the Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins, fit a sheet pan with parchment paper and top with a cooling rack. This will make clean up easy! Stir together sifted confectioners’ sugar, salt, zest and juice. The glaze consistency should be thick but pourable. You can add more juice if needed. Place room temperature muffins on top of the cooling rack. Glaze the muffins with a spoon as shown in the picture.

For vegan and gluten free substitutions, see the Notes section for additional details.

Serve the Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins for breakfast or brunch, with a bright fruit salad and yogurt.

Yield: 15 large muffins

Author: Stacey Berk

Our Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins taste like the perfect cookie and springtime in one bite! The muffins are easy to make and don’t require any special equipment.

Prep time: 25 MCook time: 18 MTotal time: 43 M

Ingredients:

Muffins

½ cup of neutral oil
¾ cup of granulated sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 6oz. container of lemon yogurt, full fat preferred, at room temperature
1 tablespoon of honey
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¼ cup of poppyseeds
1 cup of white chocolate chips

Topping

½ stick of melted butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour

Lemon Glaze

1 and ½ cups of sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Zest of 1/2 large lemon
2-5 tablespoons of lemon juice, or as needed to reach desired glaze consistency

Instructions:

How to cook Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a standard muffin pans with liners or generously apply cooking spray.
For the muffins: In a large bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, salt, yogurt, honey, zest, juice, extract and eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and soda. Gently stir ingredients until moistened (do not over mix). Add the poppyseeds and white chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan ¾ of the way. For the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and flour until a rubble consistency appears. Generously add the topping to the muffins.
Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until golden, rotating the pan in the oven halfway through. Remove from the oven. Release from the muffin tin (use a spreading knife for easy release) after 10 minutes of resting in the pan and set on a cooling rack.
For the glaze: Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper and top with a cooling rack. In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar, salt, zest and juice. The glaze consistency should be thick but pourable. Add more juice if needed. Place the room temperature muffins on top of the cooling rack. Glaze the muffins in a zig zag motion with a spoon. Allow the glaze to set, about 2 hours.

Notes:

• The standard 6oz. container of lemon yogurt can be regular or Greek. Full fat is preferred for baking. • It’s important to take the extra step of sifting the confectioners’ sugar in the Lemon Glaze through a fine mesh strainer. Some bakers even double sift! Confectioners’ sugar absorbs moisture from the air, forming lumps that can affect the texture of the glaze. Once sifted, the sugar will create a smooth consistency when combined with the juice. • If desired, you can omit the poppyseeds or white chocolate from the Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins based on your taste preference. • Vegan Substitutions- generally replace the eggs, yogurt, white chocolate chips and butter in the recipe. Replacements include- Egg (substitute for 2 eggs)- 2 tablespoons of flax meal with 6 tablespoons of water; mix and let combine for 5 minutes. Yogurt- lemon, orange or vanilla vegan yogurt. White chocolate chips-replace with vegan white chocolate chips. Butter- vegan butter. • Gluten Free Substitutions- To make the Sugar Cookie Topped Lemon Muffins gluten free, generally, substitute the all-purpose flour for equal parts with a 1:1 flour product. • If you would like to freeze the room temperature muffins, seal in a freezer bag, then glaze once defrosted.

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