Liz's Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Today is Friday.

How many muffins are TOO MANY muffins to eat in one morning? Well let's see, considering the amount of batter I licked out of the bowl, like a dog, and the number of muffins I "taste-tested" before serving them to my very worldly and discerning guests of my preschooler, and my parents...I'm gonna go with "However many I ate." My worldly, discerning preschooler is a lover of lemon blueberry anything, so even though it's a February cold snap, I made him lemon blueberry muffins in honor of...wait for it...his half birthday. Because we celebrate whatever over here. Half birthdays included. This week I almost bought my kids smoothies because they got haircuts. Perhaps I go too far with the sugar celebrations of nothing, but a half birthday is like a real thing. He's four and-a-half, and that's the last of the baby ages ever! : (

These muffins were moist and sour and lip-smackin' sweet. But not sweet enough for Luca, who threw himself on the floor crying because he didn't mean to eat one and-a-half muffins! He actually wanted Sour Patch Kids! Riiight. When will he be five? Better come soon. Yes I gave him the Sour Patch Kids too. We are celebrating over here.

I think he's saying, "Moist, Mom! Must be the sour cream!"

Liz's Lemon-Blueberry muffins 

Yield 18 muffins 

It's like a game: "Which Ingredient Did Liz Forget To Photograph?"

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 cup sugar 

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla not pictured above, for your fun

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup lemon juice This took me a little lemon and a half. Same with the zest - I used the zest of one small lemon in the batter and zest of the half a lemon in the topping.

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 cup blueberries, rinsed I spent a bunch of time halving my berries so I would have lots of berry-ful bites, kind of like mini chocolate chips v. regular chocolate chips. Meh, not sure it was worth it, but I think it proved my love and commitment.

Streusel topping: 4 T. flour, 2 T. brown sugar, 2 T. sugar, 2 T. butter, softened, 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin pans for 18 muffins. Hey! You can use your butter wrapper for this!  

2) Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.

3) Beat sugar, zest and butter until light, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each one. Add vanilla and beat. 

4) Add sour cream and lemon juice and beat, scraping bowl again. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with thirds of the milk until all the flour and milk are just combined.  

5) Carefully fold blueberries into batter. Evenly distribute batter among 18 muffin cups. Make struesel and top muffis with struesel. Bake 30 minutes.

To make struesel: combine ingredients into a small bowl and mix with your fingertips. Pinch struesel topping onto each muffin.