Blog: Lemon Rosemary Muffins With a Walnut Crumb Topping

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Over the years, I’ve been very lucky to receive bags of Meyer lemons from my in-laws’ bountiful tree. Whenever they come for a visit, I look forward to the fresh, fragrant lemons they bring for the various recipes I use them in. They are often used for fresh squeezed lemonade, over grilled salmon or part of a salad dressing. This time however, I baked with them. 

When I realized I still had fresh rosemary left from the Farmer’s Market, and plenty of lemons from the last delivery, I thought that baking the two together would be just as good as when I combine them in cooking. I was definitely right.

Both of these ingredients are extremely potent when cooking with them so you don’t need too much, but when you bake with them you need a huge amount to really amplify the smell and taste. With five tablespoons each of rosemary and lemon zest, you might think that it’s a typo, but I promise you it’s not. Just smelling the rosemary and seeing the flecks in the muffins as you take them out of the oven is an assurance that you used the right quantity.

To brighten the flavors even more, I made Lime Curd, substituted with lemons, and added a dollop to the top of the muffins. That first bite, with all the different textures is heavenly. 

The sweet and crunchy walnut topping, tangy lemon curd and pungent rosemary is a winning combination for a savory breakfast muffin…perfect with that morning cup of coffee or tea.

Here’s the recipe:

Muffins:

3 cups whole-wheat flour

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

5 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

5 teaspoons lemon zest, grated

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer, combine butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs and add lemon zest to combine.  Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and rosemary in a separate bowl and add to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk until just combined. Do not over mix. 

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray inside and on top. If you use baking liners, use cooking spray on top only. Scoop batter 2/3 full into cups.

Crumb topping:

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour

2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

½ cup walnuts, chopped

In a bowl, mix sugar and flour.  Add butter and with your fingers, combine the ingredients well. Gently mix in walnuts. 

Add a large pinch of crumb mixture to the top of each muffin.  Bake for 15-19 minutes, until toothpick comes out barely clean.  Let cool slightly and top with a dollop of lemon curd.  Yields approximately 15-20 muffins. 

Enjoy!