Olive Oil Lemon Muffins
Tender, bakery-style muffins made with fruity extra virgin olive oil, yogurt, and plenty of fresh lemon zest and juice. A hot start gives tall domed tops, and a crunchy sugar crust adds sparkle.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 19 min
- Wait
- 25 min
- Total
- 59 min
- Makes
- 12 standard muffins
Steps
Before you start
- Take the eggs and yogurt out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they are at room temperature and blend smoothly with the oil.
- Use a fruity, mild extra virgin olive oil. A very peppery or bitter oil will taste sharp once baked.
- Zest both lemons before you juice them. Zesting a cut lemon is much harder.
- Plan about 1 hour total: 15 minutes prep, a 10-minute batter rest, 19 minutes baking, and 15 minutes cooling.
Preheat and line panOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line all 12 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 400°F (200°C); liners are sitting flat in every cup.
Tip: Let the oven fully preheat, about 15 minutes. The hot start is what gives the muffins tall domes.
Rub zest into sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and the zest of both lemons (about 2 tablespoons).
- Rub them together with your fingertips for about 1 minute.
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Ready when: Sugar looks damp, clumps slightly, and smells strongly of lemon.
Tip: Rubbing releases the lemon oils into the sugar, which gives much deeper flavor than stirring in zest alone.
Whisk the dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 20 seconds until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks or clumps of leavener remain.
Make the wet mixture
- Add the eggs to the lemon sugar and whisk for 1 minute.
- Add the yogurt, lemon juice (¼ cup / 60 ml, squeezed from the zested lemons), and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking.
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Ready when: The mixture is smooth, pale yellow, and glossy, with no pools of oil on the surface.
Tip: Cold eggs or yogurt can make the oil clump and separate, so use room-temperature ingredients.
Fold together gently
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
- Fold with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl, for about 12 to 15 strokes, until just combined.
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Ready when: No dry flour is visible; the batter is thick and slightly lumpy.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing makes muffins tough and tunneled.
Rest the batter
- Let the batter sit in the bowl, uncovered, at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- The flour hydrates and the batter thickens, which helps it dome.
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Ready when: Batter is thicker and a few small bubbles appear on the surface.
Fill and top
- Divide the batter among the 12 lined cups, using about ¼ cup (60 ml) per cup so each is filled nearly to the top.
- Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the tops, about ½ teaspoon per muffin.
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Ready when: Cups are filled about ¾ to fully, with mounded tops and a light sugar coating.
Tip: An ice cream scoop gives even muffins and a cleaner fill.
Bake at high heatOven 400°F / 205°C
- Place the tin in the 400°F (200°C) oven and bake for 5 minutes without opening the door.
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Ready when: Tops have risen above the liners and look puffed but are still pale.
Tip: Do not open the oven door; the heat loss will deflate the rise.
Lower heat and finishOven 350°F / 175°C
- Without removing the tin, reduce the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake 13 to 15 more minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
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Ready when: Tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed; toothpick has no wet batter.
Tip: If your oven runs hot or the tops brown too fast, start checking at 12 minutes.
Cool and serve
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift them onto a wire rack.
- Cool for at least 10 more minutes before serving; they are best slightly warm.
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Ready when: Muffins are warm, not hot, and the liners release easily.
Tip: Leaving muffins in the hot tin longer than 5 minutes can make the bottoms steam and turn soggy.
Good to know
Tips
- Do not skip rubbing the zest into the sugar; it is the main source of lemon aroma.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it. Packed flour makes dry muffins.
- For a glaze, whisk ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and drizzle over fully cooled muffins.
- Fill the cups nearly full; underfilled cups give flat, small tops.
Make ahead
Mix the dry ingredients and the lemon sugar separately the night before and keep them covered at room temperature. Combine, rest, and bake in the morning. You can also bake the muffins a day ahead and rewarm them.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Fridge: up to 5 days, though they firm slightly; bring to room temperature before eating. Freezer: wrap individually and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 325°F (160°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or microwave one muffin for 20 to 30 seconds.
Substitutions
- plain whole-milk yogurt → Sour cream or buttermilk. Use the same amount. Buttermilk gives a slightly lighter, softer crumb.
- all-purpose flour → Half white whole wheat flour (140 g) and half all-purpose flour (140 g). Gives a nuttier flavor and a slightly denser crumb.
- large lemons → Oranges or Meyer lemons. Use the zest of 2 and ¼ cup (60 ml) juice. Orange gives a sweeter, milder muffin.
- coarse sugar (or turbinado sugar) → Granulated sugar. The crust will be less crunchy but still lightly sweet.