Lemon Lavender Muffins

We have a lot of culinary grade lavender! And lavender goes great with lemon. I adapted a recipe from Tide & Thyme for cranberry orange muffins to make them lemon lavender ones, and I threw in some dried cherries for good measure. It works! I brought them other to a friend's place for brunch and movies on this very very snowy and cold Sunday.

Lemon Lavender Muffins

Makes about 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 + 2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dried cherries

For streusel topping:
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the streusel topping, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix to combine. Using two forks, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine egg, milk, zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir to combine until just moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fold in cherries.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle streusel topping over muffin batter in cups. Bake in preheated oven, for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing.