Wild Blackberry Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Wild blackberry muffins made with thick greek yogurt and plump, juicy berries are topped with a light, lemony glaze. Moist and tender, these muffins taste like summertime in Oregon. A tasty treat for any day of the week.

One of best parts about an Oregon summer is the abundance of wild blackberries, aka marionberries, that grow everywhere. I’ve found them on the road leading up to my street, the neighbors have a huge patch in their backyard, and I even have some beginning to grow in my own backyard.

As a lover of seasonally fresh ingredients, I have picked my fair share and have been coming up with creative ways to use them all summer long. I have many blackberry recipes to share, but I want to start with these wild blackberry muffins with lemon glaze.

They are moist and tender, with plump ripe berries, and a light lemony glaze on top. I like to whip up a batch on the weekends. Freeze any leftovers to indulge in a bite of summer any time of the year.

Blackberries

I know not everyone of you has access to a crop of wild blackberries. I’ll be the first one to tell you that store bought will work just fine. If you are reading this in February, store bought frozen berries will be your best bet. They are frozen at peak ripeness and in winter should be considerably cheaper as well.

When testing this recipe I played with both fresh and frozen wild blackberries. The fresh ones have a firmer texture and, if not over mixed, will give you the results you see in the photo where you can clearly see wild blackberry and muffin.

Frozen blackberries, however, lose a lot of their shape as they thaw and will break up easily as mixed. The result is still tasty, but the muffin batter will get streaks of purple through it and you lose that contrasting flavor of tart blackberry to sweet muffin.

How do we fix this and still use frozen berries? By mixing in the berries while still frozen. It allows the blackberry to stay whole, instead of becoming a swirl in your batter. The berries will have plenty of time to thaw out while in the oven, and will retain their shape within the muffin.

Making Homemade Blackberry Muffins

These wild blackberry muffins are mixed using the standard muffin method. Start by allowing your wet ingredients sit out for a few minutes and come up to room temperature. Using ingredients that are too cold will cause your melted butter to resolidify when it comes into contact with cold ingredients, making it very difficult to mix properly.

Measure the wet ingredients into one bowl and the dry into another bowl. Make sure one of those bowls is large enough to hold all the ingredients. Mix each bowl thoroughly to combine, then add wet to dry or dry to wet.

Does it really matter if you add wet to dry or dry to wet? For this recipe, since we are adding it all at once, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure the bowl is big enough to hold it all.

Full Fat or Non-Fat?

Recently I switched to full fat dairy products in my kitchen. It may sound like a crazy idea in this world of skinny everything, but for me it makes a positive difference. I find that full fat dairy fills me up faster and keeps me feeling fuller longer. I believe that smaller portion sizes and not being hungry within an hour of eating is a winning combination, so full fat is now what I keep on hand.

So, while testing this recipe I used greek yogurt with 4% milk fat and whole milk. The batter has a thick, rich texture. If you opt for low fat your batter will be slightly thinner and the flavor won’t be as rich, but it will definitely still work. In fact, if you’ve never created homemade treats with full fat dairy, you won’t be missing anything.

The Lemon Glaze

For the muffin topping, I chose a lemon glaze instead of a streusel topping. There is something delightful about the lemon blackberry combo that makes the glaze a great addition to these muffins. It’s a very simple icing, using part lemon juice and part powdered sugar.

You can make it less tart by substituting water for part of the lemon juice, or making a thicker icing by using less lemon juice. I suggest that you mix it up, give it a taste, and adjust based on what you like best.

If you were hoping for a streusel recipe for these muffins, go check out my Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins. Follow steps 10 and 11, using the ingredients listed in the Streusel topping section.

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Wild Blackberry Muffins Recipe

I may be impatient, but I think these wild blackberry muffins taste best warm from the oven while the lemon glaze is still a bit sticky. Let them cool completely before putting them away. Store at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze for longer storage.

If you are looking for other great muffin recipes, check out my Banana Bread Muffins, this muffin recipe roundup, or see all my desserts, treats, and snacks. For more blackberry recipes try this blackberry lime tart or pork chops with blackberry applesauce.

If you like this recipe, please give it a FIVE STAR rating and share on Instagram #reneenicoleskitchen.

Wild Blackberry Muffins

Yield: 18 muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Wild blackberry muffins with plump, juicy berries and a light, lemony glaze are a perfect treat for any day of the week. Breakfast, brunch, or even a snack.

Print

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup 4% greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter - melted
• 2 tsp vanilla

Blackberries

• 6 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries, *see notes
• 1 TBSP flour

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter or line muffin tins.
3. Rinse fresh blackberries* and lay flat on a paper towel to dry.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients: 2 cups of flour, the baking powder and the salt.
5. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients: eggs, sugar, greek yogurt, milk, butter, and vanilla.
6. Place the dry blackberries and 1 TBSP of flour into a small bowl. Toss to coat the blackberries.
7. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry until thick and slightly lumpy.
8. Gently fold in the blackberries, until coated with the batter.
9. Spoon the batter into cups so that it comes just below the top edge of the pans.
10. Bake for 22 - 28 minutes or until the tops are a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Allow to rest in muffin tins until cool to touch. About 5 - 10 minutes.
12. Make the glaze by stirring together the lemon juice and powdered sugar.** 
13. Drizzle the glaze over each muffin and serve warm.

Notes

*If using frozen berries, do not thaw or rinse prior to use. Toss them in the flour while frozen, then mix into the batter.

**For a thicker glaze reduce the amount of lemon juice. For a less tart glaze replace 1 -2 TBSPs of the lemon juice with water.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1 muffine
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189 Total Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 36mg Sodium: 203mg Carbohydrates: 30g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 18g Protein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.