So much good flavor in these Lemon Crumble Muffins! Bright, cheery muffins with a burst of lemon that really will make you smile. 

Back with a recipe today, and it's a muffin recipe of course. Even when I'm not feeling very creative in the kitchen, or when the fridge is empty, or when I'm staring down a week of only meals that can be thawed from the freezer, we're still making muffins around here. I may not have much figured out in life yet, but I know how to make some darn good muffins.

And with the sun shining here again this week and the cold temperatures finally rising into the high 70's, I thought we might need a bright and cheery muffin for the occasion. I bring you these Lemon Crumble Muffins, a dozen little rays of sweet sunshine in the kitchen.

I'll tell you up front - these muffins are over the top. I didn't make them with whole grains, and they are sweet as only a proper dessert muffin should be. But, sometimes life calls for a good sweet muffin, maybe even with frosting. What's that they say about life's lemons - make lemonade? Nah, just make a melt in your mouth batch of Lemon Crumble Muffins. That's my plan this week. 

If you're making these for dessert or a fancy brunch or to satisfy a serious sugar craving, the frosting on these is just fantastic. But if you want to tone down the sugar rush a bit, just skip the frosting and you'll still enjoy the tender lemony muffins and that crumble on top. I'm all for a healthy muffin and I love to bake with whole grains at home, but every now and then, a muffin like this is so much fun!

Get yourself some good, juicy lemons and let's bake some sunshine!

Yield: 12 muffins

Lemon Crumble Muffins

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup milk (plus more as needed)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 tablespoons lemon zest

Crumble Topping

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons cold butter

Frosting

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg mixture, stirring only until just combined.
3. Combine all the topping/filling ingredients. Use your hands to work the mixture into a coarse crumble.
4. Spoon the muffin batter, about ¼ cup, into each muffin tin. Top with streusel, pressing it gently down into the top of the muffin batter in each cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven. Cool slightly, then transfer carefully to a wire rack.
5. Whisk together all of the frosting ingredients. Drizzle over the top of the muffins and enjoy every single delicious bite.

 More Fantastic Muffin Recipes: 

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Sweet Potato Apple Muffins

Banana Mango Millet Muffins