Simple lemon blackberry muffins made with the delicious combo of lemon and berries. They’re also topped with an easy berry butter and are free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, plus vegan friendly. These would be great for breakfast, brunch, or a quick snack!
Having homeschoolers at home everyday and a hubby who works from home part of the week means I always have to have quick snacks on hand so they can stay fueled and focused on their work. Muffins are a great option because they’re easy to make, filling, and are kind of like a healthier cupcake! I’m not much of a frosting girl anyway, so muffins are my dessert!
These muffins combine two of my favorite flavors—lemon and berries. It’s almost like a happy marriage of a lemon poppyseed and blueberry muffin, although I used blackberries in these. Blueberries or raspberries could always be used instead though.
I posted on Instagram a few days ago and talked a little bit the possibility that I may have to have surgery on my neck in the coming months. I’ve been suffering with back and neck pain off and on for years. It may have been exacerbated by a bad car accident I was in when I was younger, and I’m sure it doesn’t help that jobs I do have me sitting in front of a computer all day, but simply sleeping the wrong way or turning my head one way too fast leads to excruciating pain that can last weeks. Most doctors have brushed it off as a simple neck strain, but a new doctor I’ve been seeing ordered more in-depth testing, including x-rays and an MRI.
It turns out that I have a degenerative condition called cervical spondylosis, which causes a gradual break down of the joints, bones, and disks in the neck. Over the years it has caused another condition called cervical stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, which if allowed to worsen, can eventually put pressure on the spinal cord, and in extreme conditions, can lead to paralysis.
My doctor kind of scared me because she said my only option is spinal surgery. She mentioned another patient who put kept putting off surgery and eventually became paralyzed. I came home devastated, but then began doing lots of reading on the condition—one I hadn’t even heard of until l she mentioned it. I was relieved to learn that there are other treatments out there besides surgery. I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon next week and I will definitely inquire about every noninvasive option before settling on surgery.
I’m not gonna lie, this past week has been hard. I went from not knowing I had anything major wrong with me, to being told I may have to have a very risky spinal surgery on my neck. More than just the fear of going under the knife, my mind has been wandering to dark places. I think it’s natural as a mom to worry or think about the worse case scenario, but ultimately I have faith. I know God is the God of miracles and I trust that He is in control of the situation! 🤗
Here are a couple verses that are keeping me inspired:
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
I will keep you posted on how the appointment goes next week! I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers during this time too. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement over the years. It really means so much to me! 😘
Hope you enjoy these muffins, friends! Have a wonderful week!
- 1 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or pure cane sugar (use 1 cup sugar for sweeter muffins)
- zest of 1–2 lemons (I use two lemons)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or other neutral tasting cooking oil
- 1½ cup blackberries, divided (can sub with blueberries or raspberries)
- 1 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1⅓ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- ⅔ cup super fine almond flour
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or pure cane sugar (use 1 cup sugar for sweeter muffins)
- zest of 1–2 lemons (I use two lemons)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or other neutral tasting cooking oil
- 1½ cup blackberries, divided (can sub with blueberries or raspberries)
- ½ cup unsalted butter or dairy-free butter, softened
- ¼ cup blackberries or other berry of choice
- 1–2 tablespoons honey, coconut nectar, or maple syrup (use more or less, to taste)
- Preheat oven to 375º. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. This recipe may make a few more than 12 muffins.
- In a medium bowl, roughly mash half of the blackberries, just enough to break up any large chunks. Set aside.
- Combine milk and lemon juice in a small glass dish and also set aside.
- Blend together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl—flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Mix in sour milk, and oil, stirring until smooth.
- Fold in mashed blackberries, but don't overly mix. Fill paper liners ⅔ full, then top each cup with 1–2 of the reserved whole berries.
- Place pan into the preheated oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the center of each muffin is set. Serve warm muffins with berry butter. Makes 12–14 muffins.
- In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, berries, and sweetener. Add additional sweetener or berries, if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 2–3 days.
Hello – thank you for sharing this delicious looking recipe! Do you have any recommendations for a gluten free version that doesn’t use almond flour? I am allergic to all forms of nuts, but I would still love to make these gluten free. Any suggestions?
Hi Cassie, you can use all gf flour blend, but without eggs they can be rather dense and chewy. If you don’t have an aversion to eating eggs, I’d suggest adding an egg to help them rise more. You can also try 1 2/3 cup gf flour + 1/3 cup coconut flour, but you may need to add a little more milk if the batter is too thick. It should be similar to the consistency to cake batter. Let me know how it goes if you give either a try!
Hello! Thanks for your quick reply. Would you recommend doing the egg or the coconut flour first? Or would you do both modifications?
Of course! My goal is to help you make a delicious batch of muffins! 🙂 I’d probably add the egg because I haven’t tested the coconut flour addition with this particular recipe and I’m guessing it would need additional milk. But it depends on the gf flour blend you have. Do you mind sharing what kind of gf flour are you using?
I have Bob’s Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour.
Oh ok, that’s a good blend! I just baked up a test batch using King Arthur’s gf blend and used 1 egg in 1/2 the recipe and they turned out nice and fluffy. I’d say adding 1-2 eggs to a full recipe should definitely help with the texture. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
PS. I used Coconut Oil. And a Combo of Maple Syrup and Coconut Sugar. For the sweetener. Used 2 TBS of each. YUMMY. about to make it a second time in one week ; )
So happy you’re enjoying these muffins, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing your adjustments and for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂
Absolutely Delicious !!!!
Love your recipes! I generally don’t read blogs (sorry) but this post caught my eye today. My mom was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and had a spinal fusion surgery shortly after. 11 months later we hiked the Grand Canyon together 🙂 Keep trusting in God and he will provide for you!
Aww, thank you Cassie! I truly appreciate you popping by to leave this encouraging post! I’m so happy to hear your mom is doing well after having the surgery! I heard it takes about a year or so to start feeling normal again, but it’s definitely worth it if you can then say you feel good enough to hike the Grand Canyon! What a feat!! I’ve been in physical therapy these past couple of months and will go back to the neurosurgeon in a few weeks for a followup. I do feel so much better about the possibility of surgery after hearing several success stories, including this one of your mom! I think I’d be up for any treatment if I knew I’d feel good enough to do what she did this time next year! That’s crazy amazing!! Thanks again for taking the time to share this!
I’m making these right now. There’s no measurement for vanilla but it’s included in the instructions??
Hi Lori, sorry for the confusion! I had vanilla in the initial recipe, but omitted it to keep the recipe more simple. I just forgot to take it out of the instructions 😉 If you’d like to add it in, it’s just 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, but it’s not necessary. The lemon adds enough flavor, in my opinion. Thanks for informing me about the mistake..I corrected the recipe! Hope you enjoy these!
Two of my favorite ingredients, lemon and blackberry! definitely gonna try this recipe right away. Lovely that I can use almond milk too.
Thanks for trying it out! Have a lovey weekend!
they all look so good.. and we have loads of peach at home now so that is the first time i am trying (we just used up all the berries with pancake and waffle breakfasts this holiday week!0
I love the combination of lemon and blackberry – perfect balance of tart and sweet! Look forward to trying these!
Thanks Carrie! Have a great weekend!
blackberries are one of my weaknesses! I see them on a dessert item and I HAVE to order it. I once made a blackberry lemon cake that was TO-DIE-FOR.
Thanks Bianca!
These muffins looks so dang delicious. The combo of lemon and blackberry is a really great one. I will have to make these for my family really soon, I know my family will love these.
Thanks Luci!
They muffins look so good! I love lemon and blackberry together!
Thank you Natalie!