Winter citrus fruits are flourishing throughout Southern California, and for the first time ever, the season’s bounty is blooming right on our front porch. The Astronomer’s parents gifted us the most adorable dwarf Meyer lemon tree when they visited last spring, and after nurturing it through the summer and into fall, it finally bore fruit that we could pluck and enjoy this winter.
While I’ve tasted Meyer lemons in various dishes at restaurants, I never fully understood the complexity of their flavor until I actually cooked and baked with them. Not only is Meyer lemon juice sweeter, but it also has an indescribable and distinct tang that makes it wholly unique.
Our first harvest inspired The Astronomer to whip up a delectable shrimp puri puri. And several week later, I had to bake these Meyer lemon muffins after spotting the recipe in the Los Angeles Times.
Lemon-flavored muffin recipes usually call for just juice and zest, like these lemon ricotta muffins that I love, but this recipe calls for the whole shebang—juice, zest, pith, and all. The result is a truly moist muffin that’s studded with lemon pieces and laced with a slight bitterness. A sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on the top of each one successfully mellows the lemon’s astringent notes.
It’s worthwhile to seek out Meyer lemons for this recipe because I find that their flavor, as compared to regular lemons, is different enough that something would be lost by substituting one for the other. Experiencing Meyer lemons in full effect is a must for all citrus lovers.
- 9 ounces all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 Meyer lemons, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, the baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Cut two lemons into 1-inch pieces. Put them in a blender and pulse until the lemon is finely chopped. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, butter and chopped lemon. Stir.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the lemon mixture. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened.
Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each half full.
Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle about one-fourth teaspoon over each muffin. Cut the remaining lemon into 9 paper-thin slices; cut each slice in half. Top each muffin with half a slice of lemon.
Bake about 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm.
Makes 18 muffins.
Recipe by the Los Angeles Times, January 2012. [For Printable Recipe Click Here]
More muffin recipes on Gastronomy:
What a great recipe! Maybe this is the perfect time to swap muffins for lemon curd? Way to go on these beauties, seriously, they look extra special. Plus, noting beats using something from your yard.
Super Lemon Daring! I love how the entire lemons are all blended up. I will have to try these…. with the OC backyard lemons I hauled back up to PDX. Sadly, they are not meyer lemons… those babies are difficult to find up here. I will not take them for granted again!
The recipe looks scrumptious!
I’ve never had a Meyer lemon, but have seen them in stores. I never really picked them up, because I never knew what to do with them. Now, I do :]
these muffins sound incredible! i love that they include the whole lemon i love getting little bites of pulp and zest adds to the whole enjoyable muffin eating experience 🙂
these are so cute! were they yummy? the little slices on top are charming too! How big were they? like slices of a golf ball split in half? yay Meyer Lemon tree and its faithful caretakers!
I love meyer lemons! I grew up with them, my grandma had a gigantic bush in her backyard with hideous thorns.. the fragrance is unforgettable. Our little bush is drooping with bounty too.
These muffins are awesome! This is the first time I have boughten meyer lemons and looked for a recipe. Everyone just loved them!
Yay!
So many Meyer lemons I was looking for recipes!
Thanks
My Mom told me about these, TERESA, who also left a comment! Hi Mom! lol They were delicious!!!!!!!
Glad to have found your blog! Made these today, they were really good. I love how yours look in their little cupcake cups. Beautiful! 🙂
What lovely muffins! Im repinning these, I must try them!
I made this recipe this morning as I found Meyer Lemons at Trader Joe’s. It was my first experience with them and this recipe is TERRIFIC ~ thanks so much for sharing. I’m hooked!
Made these this afternoon after picking the Meyer lemons from my tree. Where have these muffins been all my life? So incredibly fragrant and perfect. I made a dozen in muffin cups and a tray of minis from this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Just made. I substituted olive oil for the butter +
they turned out delicious! Will definitely make again.
These were delicious! My friend recently gifted me a bag of her lovely meyer lemons, upon searching the web for a recipe, i stumbled across this one. The use of the entire lemon was so intriguing. Thanks for the recipe, I followed it exactly and these yummy muffins turned out awesome. Not too sweet and the meyer lemon really shines through. YUM.
Glad you enjoyed, Eri! Some of my favorite muffins for sure 🙂
I’m years late discovering this, but have a question about size of the lemons you used or about how much does it measure after blending?
Right now the Meyer lemons I have are small, golf ball size, but if I get them from my friend’s 80+ year old tree, they’re more in size like the Lisbon/Eureka lemons in the store.
Maxie – The ones used in this recipe were on the small size, roughly two golf balls. Hopefully that helps!
These turned out a bit bitter for me…I used Meyer lemons from my yard and maybe they were larger than the ones in the recipe. Maybe a cup measure of blended up lemon would be helpful. Beautiful presentation though.