Blueberry Lemon Balm Muffins

I love lemon balm, it grows like a weed, tastes fantastic, and usually when I am talking about it, I chat about its natural benefits for sleep, mood, and stress. However, we’re making Blueberry Lemon Balm muffins today, so unfortunately the benefits go mostly out the window because of heat of the oven, but the taste? That stays.

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Lemon balm (melissa officinalis) is in the mint family, so you get a mild mint taste but with the bright citrus flavor of lemon, so it pairs well with the traditional blueberry-lemon flavor combination. But there is something about the flavor of lemon balm that almost feels alchemical- its taste is more than just mint and lemon together. There’s something a bit magic about its flavor! So, while I harvest most of my lemon balm to stock my home apothecary, I love to cook with it every season as well!

Sourcing Lemon Balm

Unfortunately, fresh lemon balm isn’t an herb that you can just grab in any grocery store. Sometimes you can find it seasonally in specialty stores like Natural Grocers, but unless you are growing it at home (which I highly recommend! It is easy, prolific, and does well in a pot!) your best bet is to find it at the farmers’ market where it will be sold in bundles along with other culinary herbs or find a plant at a local garden center or box store. I saw lots of lemon balm starts at Lowe’s this year!

Blueberry Lemon Balm Muffin Ingredients

Blueberry Lemon Balm Muffin Method

Preheat the oven to 400º F

In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil. Whisk well to combine. Add the minced lemon balm leaves and whisk again.

Add the liquid mix, blueberries, and lemon zest to the bowl of dry mix. Use a spatula to bring the ingredients together, mixing only until all the flour is integrated.

These muffins aren’t overly sweet because the mint, lemon, and blueberry flavor is the star of the show, but they can tend to be a bit dense because of the weight of the inclusions. So, make sure to whisk your eggs well and not over mix the batter so they will rise well!

Line a muffin tin (I’m using silicone muffin liners) and fill the muffin cups up to about three quarters of the way full. I’m filling them this high instead of the standard two-thirds, so you still get that pretty dome even with a weightier mix!

Pop into the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the top start to turn golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean.

These Blueberry Lemon Balm Muffins are best with in 2-4 in an airtight container in room temperature or up to a week stored in the fridge!

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