Lemon Orange Honey Muffins (Print)
Bright citrus muffins with honey and fragrant thyme crumble, perfect for breakfast or tea time.
# What You Need:
→ Muffin Batter
01 - 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 cup (1 stick/120 ml) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) honey
07 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - Zest of 1 lemon
10 - Zest of 1 orange
11 - Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
12 - Juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup/60 ml)
13 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
→ Thyme Crumble
14 - 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
15 - 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
16 - 1/4 cup (55 g/1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
17 - 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
18 - Pinch of sea salt
# How to Make:
01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup lightly with butter.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, honey, Greek yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
04 - Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
05 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
06 - In a small bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, thyme leaves, and sea salt. Add the cold cubed butter and rub with your fingers or cut in with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
07 - Sprinkle the thyme crumble generously over each filled muffin cup, pressing gently so the topping adheres.
08 - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
09 - Let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The thyme crumble is one of those unexpected touches that makes people close their eyes after the first bite and ask what on earth is in here.
- Honey instead of refined sugar in the batter gives these muffins a soft floral sweetness that feels grown up but still comforting.
02 -
- I once mixed the batter for a full two minutes and ended up with muffins that could have doubled as hockey pucks, so please treat folding like a gentle conversation rather than an argument.
- Using cold butter straight from the fridge for the crumble is non negotiable because warm butter will melt into a paste instead of creating those beautiful craggy bits.
03 -
- Let the melted butter cool to lukewarm before adding it to the wet ingredients or you risk partially cooking the eggs and creating unpleasant little scrambled bits in your batter.
- Rotate the muffin tin 180 degrees halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots, because an evenly browned batch is worth the small effort.