When life gives you lemons, make lemon glazed lemon muffins! I was recently layed off from my full-time job, so as you can imagine, I have been feeling a little like I've been handed a bucket full of lemons. Well, actually, I feel like I was sucker punched, but they are basically the same thing, right? You may be able to sneak in a sucker punch, but I won't stay down for long. So, instead of wallowing in misery, I decided to make these oh so delicious muffins. Take that life!
Ironically enough I found a recipe for lemon loaf on Pinterest recently that looked really good. I love Pinterest. I find all kinds of inspiration there. But back to the recipe - you can find the original recipe at Sweet Pea's Kitchen. Her recipe is not gluten free. No problem, I love a challenge, especially when I am feeling a little down. Since I was converting the recipe to gluten free, I decided to make it all my own by making a few other modifications as well. I made muffins instead of a loaf (Well, that isn't entirely true. I made both.), and I decided not to use the lemon syrup that her recipe calls for. I am so glad I decided to take this one on. It turned out amazing. It is so moist and lemony! Just what I needed to lift my spirits.
What You Will Need:
Whisk
Zester
KitchenAid Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Muffin Tins
Aluminum Muffin Papers (It is important to use the aluminum ones. The paper ones will stick to your muffins and tear them to pieces.)
Cooling Racks
Cookie Sheets with Sides or Restaurant Pans
Makes 36 Muffins
Ingredients:
For Muffins
1 1/2 cup Soy Flour
3/4 cup Potato Starch
1/2 cup Corn Starch
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
2 teaspoons Xanthum Gum
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 cups Sugar
8 Large Eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup Grated Lemon Zest (2 Large or 4 Small Lemons)
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (1 Large or 2 Small Lemons)
2 cups Unsalted Butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup Sour Cream (room temperature)
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
For Lemon Glaze
2 cups Powdered Sugar
4-6 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice (1 Large or 2 Small Lemons)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy flour, potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, xanthum gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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| Dry ingredients ready for whisking. |
3. Zest and juice lemons. Set Aside.
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| I received this nifty zester for Christmas. It was part of a set of kitchen gadgets. Thanks Mom! |
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| Adding the lemon zest. |
5. Slowly add butter, sour cream, vinegar and vanilla. Mix on low until combined. Mixture will look lumpy.
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| Adding the vanilla. |
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| Liquid ingredients after mixing. |
6. Transfer the liquid mixture to a large bowl.
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| Tranferring liquid mixture to a large bowl. |
7. Preheat oven to 350° F.
8. Add dry mixture 1/3 at a time to the liquid mixture. Fold in gently until combined.
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| Folding in dry mixture. |
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| Batter is ready for baking. |
9. Scoop batter into muffin tins. Fill tins 1/2-3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate pans, reduce heat to 325° F, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (For my loaf, I left it in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.)
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| I always use my handy scoop for muffins and cupcakes. It is the perfect measurement and a lot less messy. |
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| Ready for the oven. |
10. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.
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| Cooling down and anxiously awaiting the glaze. |
11. While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk ingredients together. Start with 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and add additional Tablespoons one at a time until glaze is thick by pourable.
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| Adding lemon juice to the powdered sugar. |
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| Mixing this glaze is a work out, so be prepared. |
12. When muffins are completely cool, place the cooling racks on cookie sheets/restaurant pans. Pour glaze over muffins. Let glaze harden before storing in air tight container.
You may notice that the glaze on the loaf and
two of the muffins is much whiter and thicker
than the rest of the muffins. That is because
I decided that it was too thick after I glazed
those, so I added more lemon juice. Those
are still good, but the glaze is more like frosting
than glaze. It is all about preference. That is the
beauty of baking, you can make it how you like it!
I have a confession to make. I made a huge error when I was making these muffins. Have you noticed that my muffins and my loaf look a little deflated in the center? Yes, and because of that the glaze is pooling in the middle. That is all due to my error. So, what was my error, you ask. Well, I accidentally put 2 teaspoons of baking soda instead of baking powder in the mixture when I was measuring my dry ingredients. Normally, I would consider starting over and scrapping the ingredients; but considering my recent lay off, I can't really afford to throw anything away. So, I decided to try it and see what happens. The good news is they still taste amazing.
Did you know that baking powder has baking soda in it? It does. So, I just left out the baking powder all together. However, the result is deflated muffins. Why? Because, baking soda reacts when it gets wet. It puffs up really early, then it is done. But, baking powder has ingredients in it that make it react twice, once when it gets wet and the second time when it gets hot. That is why baked goods with baking powder hold their fluff. If you want the technical explanation, you should do some research. This is just my layman's explanation. Anyway, the even better news is that when you make this recipe, and use the correct ingredients with the correct measurements; your muffins will be fluffy and beautiful, not sunken and sad like mine. You can learn from my mistakes. Your welcome! :)
Enjoy your fluffy lemon glazed lemon muffins! Please tell me what you think in the comments.
"You never know how STRONG you are, until being STRONG is the only choice you have."
Sheryl
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