Lemon Orange Honey Muffins (Printable version)

Bright citrus muffins with honey and fragrant thyme crumble topping, ideal for breakfast or snacks.

# What you need:

→ Muffin Batter

01 - 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ¼ teaspoon salt
05 - ⅓ cup (80 ml) honey
06 - ¼ cup (60 g) granulated sugar
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - Zest of 1 orange
09 - ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
10 - ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh orange juice
11 - ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
12 - ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
13 - 2 large eggs

→ Thyme Crumble

14 - ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
15 - ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
16 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
17 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
18 - Pinch of salt

# How To:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup generously.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine the honey, granulated sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, whole milk, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
04 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Take care not to overmix, as this can produce tough muffins.
05 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
06 - In a small bowl, mix together the flour, light brown sugar, fresh thyme leaves, and a pinch of salt. Add the cold cubed butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
07 - Sprinkle the thyme crumble evenly over the top of each filled muffin cup.
08 - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
09 - Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The honey sweetens without overpowering, letting the citrus really sing in every bite.
  • That thyme crumble on top turns an ordinary muffin into something guests will genuinely ask about.
  • They come together in one bowl with zero fancy equipment, which means you can make them half asleep on a weekend morning.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the number one reason these muffins turn out rubbery instead of tender, so stop folding the second everything looks combined.
  • Cold butter in the crumble is not optional because warm butter will melt into a paste instead of creating those irresistible crunchy nuggets on top.
  • The muffins taste even better on day two when the honey and citrus have had time to settle into the crumb and deepen their flavor.
03 -
  • Run a microplane across the zest side with gentle pressure to avoid the bitter white pith underneath, which will make your whole batch taste medicinal.
  • Let the melted butter cool to lukewarm before adding it to the wet ingredients, or you risk scrambling the eggs on contact.

Go back