Blueberry, Apple & Lemon Muffins

2013-10-29
  • Yield : 12 muffins
  • Prep Time : 10m
  • Cook Time : 20m
  • Ready In : 30m

Blueberries are in season now and not only delicious but great value inspiring me to make these Blueberry, Apple & Lemon Muffins.  I’m going through a bit of a muffin phase at the moment and love to have a few different varieties (both sweet and savoury) in the freezer as they make fab snacks and are great in lunchboxes. There is really no need to add loads of sugar as so many recipes do, the fruit adds in most of the sweetness here and your kids really don’t need it, especially if you are baking them often.

Tip: Frozen blueberries work well in this recipe too – perfect for when fresh blueberries aren’t in season or they are expensive.

Nutrition Note: We all know blueberries are rich in antioxidants BUT did you know 1/2 cup of blueberries contains the same amount of antioxidants in 2 1/2 cups of spinach?!

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups of spelt, wholemeal or white plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 apple, peeled and grated
  • 1 punnet blueberries or 1 cup of frozen blueberries
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or olive oil

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases. -

Step 2

Place the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt, caster sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Stir through the lemon zest, grated apple and blueberries. -

Step 3

Place the egg, buttermilk, and oil into a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and gently fold through until just combined. -

Step 4

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. -

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Recipe Comments

  1. posted by Sarah on October 31, 2013

    I made these this morning into mini muffins and used wholemeal flour and coconut oil. My 14 month old LOVED them!

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on October 31, 2013

      Hi Sarah, I’m glad they were a hit with your little one. I hope you were able to enjoy one too 🙂 Jx

        Reply
  2. posted by Jackie on November 18, 2013

    I have made these muffins with blueberries and with raspberries and both are delicious. A new favourite for of my toddler, husband and my parents!

      Reply
  3. posted by Gavin And Danielle Cook on November 29, 2013

    Hi, can I ask if you can substitute the buttermilk with regular milk, formula or even almond milk?
    Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  4. posted by Christine on February 2, 2014

    I just made this substituting for buttermilk one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice mixed and left to set – it worked out great!

      Reply
  5. posted by Iza on February 26, 2014

    Does the excess juice need to be squeezed out from the apple?

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on April 1, 2014

      Hi Iza,
      No, I don’t squeeze out the excess juice and they turn out fine. Very yummy in fact 🙂 Jx

        Reply
  6. posted by Chloe on April 2, 2014

    Delicious!!! Although I used half olive oil and half coconut oil. I find the taste of straight coconut too strong. I did half plain and half whole meal flour too. Yummy!

      Reply
  7. posted by Katrina on April 12, 2014

    These are just gorgeous! My 7 year old helped me make them and they were a real hit for her lunchbox. I also made a few mini-sized ones for my 14 month old and she thought they were the bee’s knees! Highly recommended!

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on April 18, 2014

      Thanks for the lovely feedback Katrina. Glad they were a hit with your little girls 🙂 Jx

        Reply
  8. posted by Natalie Illingworth on June 19, 2014

    Hi, just wondering if I could substitute the sugar for honey? and would I use the same amount?
    Thanks.

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on June 20, 2014

      Hi Natalie,
      Yes you could try using honey. You may not need to use the same amount, it really depends on how sweet you like your muffins. The apple and blueberries also provide some sweetness. I would start with approx. 1/4 cup and see how you go. Enjoy, Jx

        Reply
  9. posted by Leia on July 12, 2014

    Just wondering how you think they would turn out without the berries?

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on July 15, 2014

      Hi Lara, they should turn out fine. You could easily add more apple, diced pear, banana or mango as an altenative. Enjoy, Jx

        Reply
  10. posted by Sarah on July 12, 2014

    Hi there, love your website. Just wondering which gluten free flours i might substitute for the spelt/wholemeal? Do you think a combination of quinoa flour or brown rice flour would work? Thanks!

      Reply
  11. posted by Stephanie Lam on July 12, 2014

    Hi was wondering if the 1/2 cup coxonut oil is oil coconut that is melted or solidfied ? Rhsnks

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on July 15, 2014

      Hi Stephanie, it’s best melted. Enjoy, Jx

        Reply
  12. posted by Sarah on July 12, 2014

    Hi, love your website. My family love the toddler oat chew bars. Wondering how I might make this recipe gluten free? Would quinoa/coconut/brown rice flour be appropriate substitutes for the wheat flour? Thanks!

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on July 15, 2014

      Hi Sarah, have you tried ‘gluten free plain flour’? I find it’s often a useful alternative that turns out quite well. Quinoa would work too but it would give these muffins a strong flavour. Maybe a mix of the 2? Jx

        Reply
  13. posted by Sharon on July 13, 2014

    Made these today – didn’t have any blueberries, so used mixed berries. Can’t wait to taste the result

      Reply
  14. posted by Melissa on July 15, 2014

    I used coconut oil mine had solidified in the jar so I warmed it a bit to turn back to liquid as soon as I mixed with milk and egg it solidified again and went all lumpy i kept going hoping for the best but they didn’t turn out very well, they still taste nice . I’ll definitely use olive oil next time.

      Reply
  15. posted by Alison on August 17, 2014

    If you don’t have any lemons or buttermilk what do you suggest as a supplement?

      Reply
  16. posted by Christine Rodwell on August 17, 2014

    Would this recipe still work if I swapped the buttermilk for vanilla soy milk as my son has allergies?

      Reply
  17. posted by Helen on August 17, 2014

    I live in Cyprus, and struggle to get buttermilk, can I use normal milk please? Love your website btw!!! X

      Reply
    • posted by Allie on August 19, 2014

      Yes, or to make buttermilk: one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice mixed and left to set.

        Reply
  18. posted by Louise on August 19, 2014

    I used a half cup of coconut milk that was leftover from making a curry and also half a cup of the buttermilk. I used extra virgin olive oil and they were just delicious. I haven’t made muffins for a while, thank you for the recipe. Enjoyed by everyone!

      Reply
  19. posted by Cannis on September 10, 2014

    Would I be able to substitute the sugar content with something else?

      Reply
    • posted by Nic on December 11, 2014

      Hoping to use some stevia maybe?

        Reply
  20. posted by hayley on September 23, 2014

    Hi can these muffins be frozen ?

      Reply
  21. posted by Jane on February 8, 2015

    These look great for my one year old twins! Just wondering how to omit the egg to make them suitable to take to daycare? Thanks in advance 🙂

      Reply
    • posted by Allie on February 12, 2015

      Try 1/2 a banana or chia-egg which is 1 tbsp of chia seeds soaked in 3 tbsp of water for a few minutes or until it forms a ‘glue’ consistency. Ax

        Reply
  22. posted by Kellie on February 15, 2015

    I think mini muffins would be great for my 18 month old. Could I use this recipe, and how long would I cook them for? Thanks.

      Reply
  23. posted by Sarah on February 16, 2015

    Just wondering if these would turn out if I left the sugar out completely. Just trying not to give my 9 month old too much sugar at the moment.
    Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  24. posted by Sandra on February 16, 2015

    I made these using wholemeal flour & coconut oil. I also substituted the castor sugar with 1/3 cup rice malt syrup and the butter milk with normal whole milk & 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Delicious!!!

      Reply
  25. posted by Rebecca on March 1, 2015

    I made these about 2weeks before my son’s 2nd bday party, and popped them in the freezer, they were just as delicious defrosted as they were the day we made them! And they held so well, love this recipe, can’t wait to try a few more now!

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on May 21, 2015

      Thank you Rebecca 🙂 Jx

        Reply
  26. posted by Susan on March 7, 2015

    Just made these and so happy with them. Hubby and I loved them and will be trying my 14 month old twins with them when they wake up. Love your recipes and keep up the good work! Susan in Ireland.

      Reply
    • posted by Jess on May 21, 2015

      Thank you Susan for the lovely feedback 🙂 Jx

        Reply
      • posted by Susan on December 31, 2015

        No problem Jess. I am still making these and my babies are now 2 and we all adore these muffins. Best Muffin recipe ever I think. I make an icing for the top with 50g butter, 125g of Icing Sugar and half a teaspoon of Lemon Extract beaten together with a fork. Topped with a few fresh blueberries and the adults love them. 🙂

          Reply
  27. posted by Lauren on September 29, 2015

    Just pulled these out of the oven! Soo yummy.
    I put 2 tablespoons of chia seeds through the mixture. Used normal milk and extra virgin olive oil. They turned out amazing! The chia seeds add a little extra crunch

      Reply
  28. posted by Rebecca on February 22, 2016

    Yummy, loved these, put in extra zest and had no baking powder so used 1.5 cups of SR flour and 1 cup of spelt flour and turned out great!

      Reply
  29. posted by Kate on July 7, 2016

    Baked today and turned out great. My 19 month old fussy eater devoured several over the course of the day.
    I didn’t have buttermilk so substituted for 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup plain Greek yoghurt. I also didn’t have any coconut oil so used olive oil as suggested. Opted for whole meal flour and frozen blueberries.
    Definitely be printing this one out to include in my cook book. Yum!

      Reply

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