Strawberry Muffins Crumble Lemon (Printer View)

Fluffy strawberry muffins with a crunchy crumble top and fresh lemon zest brighten every bite.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Muffins

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
09 - 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
12 - 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced

→ For the Crumble Topping

13 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
15 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
16 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
17 - 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

# Method Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease thoroughly.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition.
04 - Stir in milk, sour cream or yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until smooth.
05 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Fold diced strawberries into batter with a gentle hand.
07 - Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full.
08 - In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Add cold butter pieces and mix with a fork or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
09 - Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over batter in each muffin cup.
10 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
11 - Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumble top gives you that bakery-quality texture without any fussy techniques or special equipment.
  • Lemon zest cuts through the sweetness in a way that makes these taste more sophisticated than they have any right to be for something so easy.
  • They're breakfast appropriate enough to justify eating at 7 AM but indulgent enough to satisfy a real dessert craving.
02 -
  • Strawberries release water as they bake, so dice them small and add them last, right before scooping, or your batter becomes loose and gummy.
  • The difference between these being tender and being dense is literally just restraint when folding, fight the urge to stir thoroughly and you'll be rewarded.
  • Frozen strawberries work perfectly fine if you use them straight from the freezer without thawing, they actually hold their shape better than thawed berries.
03 -
  • Microplane grater for lemon zest changes your life, it gets pure zest with none of the bitter white pith that box graters include.
  • Room temperature ingredients mix more smoothly, so pull everything out 15 minutes before baking, it actually makes a difference in how tender these turn out.
  • Don't skip the wire rack cooling step because muffins sitting in the pan trap steam and get weirdly soggy on the bottom.
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