Calamansi-Lemon Muffins

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I was told there are Calamansi Muffins much sought after at a café-restaurant in Boracay, a favorite beach destination in the Philippines. Many blog readers have written to ask me if I knew the secret recipe. Some readers have shared that customers line up in the morning for these calamansi muffins, place their order and then come back for them in the afternoon. Or if one is late, those famous muffins are sold out. I can understand the longing for a delicious treat. But if I were at a beautiful beach resort, I would not line up. Instead I would lazily enjoy my time on the shore, taking a swim, enjoying the cool breeze, wrapped up in a good book and basking in the sun. If I wanted these calamansi muffins so badly, I will then go home and bake these instead.

So I did. I baked Calamansi Muffins and shared the recipe in a previous blog post. Those were so good and I’ve baked them again and again. These batch today were baked from a different recipe. These muffins were what I baked and brought to the New York Bake Sale organized by food bloggers in the tri state. Every year, one day during the spring, food bloggers led by my friends Lillian Huang Fuentes and Ken Leung tirelessly give their time to organize a bake sale fund raiser to benefit ‘No Kid Hungry.’ Inspired by Lillian and Ken’s hard work, a large group of food bloggers in the tri state give their time and donate baked goods for the bake sale held at the Brooklyn Flea Market.

It gives me much joy to share my favorite Filipino citrus flavor — the calamansi in a homemade muffin. The calamansi has a piercing, powerful yet pleasant lime-like flavor and aroma. Calamansi are known as the Filipino lime. In the USA, they grow and thrive in warm climates like California, Florida, Arizona. In the Philippines, the trees grow in backyards and can be found abundant in markets.

If calamansi, whether fresh or frozen concentrate are not available, use fresh lemons instead and the results are just as wonderful. In the spring and summer, my sons reminded me that lemons are sweetest, so with that thought I shall go squeeze some and use the fresh juice for a batch of these  heavenly muffins. If I start now, they’ll be baked in time for dessert after dinner. And if I know my family, these muffins will be sold out immediately at our table !

Print Recipe

Calamansi-Lemon Muffins

These buttery, moist, citrus-flavored Calamansi-Lemon Muffins are made with calamansi, the Filipino lime and lemon juice. They are quick and easy to bake. Once done, the muffins are soft, luscious, buttery and citrusy-sweet all at once. This is an Asian in America blog post recipe by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Cook Time22 minutes mins

Total Time22 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Merienda, Snacks

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Filipino Calamansi Lemon Muffins Dessert

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 1043kcal

Author: Asian in America - Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

• Muffin tins
• Paper cupcake or muffin liners
• Electric mixer

Ingredients

• 11/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup calamansi juice fresh or use frozen concentrate (from Asian markets)
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 whole large eggs
• 1/8 cup lemon juice for sprinkling on muffins after baking

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients : flour, baking powder and salt. Sift together by using a wire whisk and blending it around the bowl. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the calamansi or lemon juice and the milk. Mix and set aside.
• Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar till fluffy for about 2 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the calamansi-milk mixture.
• Lastly, add the dry ingredients and blend the batter well by beating for 2 to 3 minutes till smooth. Do not overbeat the batter.
• Line a cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup with 3/4 of the calamansi batter. Divide equally to yield 12 pieces. Bake at 350 F for 20 to 22 minutes. Test if done by piercing the middle of one muffin with the tip of a small sharp knife. If tip comes clean, muffin is done.
• Take out of the oven and cool on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a teaspoon, sprinkle a few drops  lemon juice over the newly baked, still warm muffin for an additional citrusy flavor.
• Remove the muffins from the cupcake pans. Cool on cake racks for 30-40 minutes.
• Cook's comments: Just in time for the NYC Bake Sale, I received a box of goodies from friends at Kerrygold USA. Inside was my favorite Kerrygold Butter (unsalted), so it's what I used for this recipe. Disclosure: I was not paid to mention Kerrygold, but I use their products often because the butter and cheese are made from dairy of grass-fed cows. Try to use premium butter like this one for this recipe and the results will be superb.
• Hello, Friends! All the images and content here are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to use my photos or content on your website, videos, TV programs, cookbooks, media content  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1043kcal | Carbohydrates: 183g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 8.1mg

Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected].