Pink Grapefruit Muffins
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Wonderfully fragrant and flavorful, these Pink Grapefruit Muffins feature a perfectly moist and tender crumb and a delightful grapefruit sugar topping!
For more irresistible grapefruit goodness be sure to try our Pink Grapefruit Pie!
Several years ago when my young kids were both simultaneously taking a nap (yes, miracles do happen) I was brainstorming ways to use the pink grapefruits I had stockpiled from a terrific sale. As I reached for one from the fridge to enjoy as a mid-day snack, I noticed the jug of buttermilk on the shelf. Grapefruit and buttermilk…the wheels started turning and before long I was reaching for flour, eggs, butter and sugar and the end result of the experiment were these Pink Grapefruit Muffins. The fragrance that filled my kitchen as they were baking was so wonderful and I was equally delighted by their flavor when I took my first bite.
To get all of that incredible pink grapefruit flavor, I used both the zest and the juice. And to ensure an extra fluffy, tender muffin texture, I beat and folded the egg whites into the batter separately. As I poured the batter into the muffin tins, I thought they needed something on top. Some final finishing touch. So I grabbed another grapefruit and zested it. I poured some sugar into a bowl and added the zest, combining it with my fingers to make a grapefruit sugar that would form a kind of crackly-crispy topping as the muffins baked. It smelled so heavenly!
In short, these pink grapefruit muffins scored big with my family and we’ve been enjoying them ever since.
Next idea to experiment with – Pink Grapefruit Buttermilk Cupcakes with a Pink Grapefruit Cream Cheese Frosting. Also, Pink Grapefruit Buttermilk Scones. Yummy!
Pink Grapefruit Muffins Recipe
Let’s get started!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan unless using non-stick.
Cream the butter and sugar. Do this for several minutes until the texture is light pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined. Add the grapefruit juice, zest and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
A bit at a time, gently fold the flour mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula. Add the buttermilk gradually in between flour additions. Lumps are fine. You don’t want to over-mix this or the muffins won’t be light and fluffy.
Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula, again being careful not to over-mix. Once again, a few small lumps are fine.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, about 3/4 of the way full.
Combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl for the grapefruit sugar topping.
Use your fingers to combine and crumble the mixture. Sprinkle the grapefruit sugar on top of the muffin batter.
Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Place the muffin tin on a wire rack and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the muffins and place them on the wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
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Pink Grapefruit Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs , separated
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- zest of one pink grapefruit , about 1 1/2 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- 1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the Grapefruit Sugar Topping:
- 2 teaspoons pink grapefruit zest
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan unless using non-stick. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for several minutes until light pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined. Add the grapefruit juice, zest, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. A bit at a time, carefully fold the flour mixture into the batter using a rubber spatula. Add the buttermilk between flour additions. Some lumps are fine. Be careful not to over-stir.
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the batter, again being careful not to over-stir. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins about 3/4 full.
- To make the grapefruit sugar, use your fingers to combine the grapefruit zest with the sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the grapefruit sugar on top of the muffins.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins sit for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 20, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I forgot to mix in the egg whites!!! Major fail on my part, but the muffins still taste great!
10/10. I had some extra grapefruits and was having trouble thinking of what I could use them for. These are so delicious!
Thank you, Katherine, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I used whole wheat flour and cut the sugar (I used beet sugar) to 3/4 cup. I also added a teaspoon of fresh ground pink peppercorns. Oh, and I increased the salt to 1/2 tsp. Good flavor with my changes, but I didn’t love how soft they were. These are cupcakes, not muffins. Next time I’d probably skip the beating and folding in of the egg whites, which I have only done for cupcakes, if I want muffins or add cream cheese frosting if I want cupcakes.
Love this recipe. So unique- a huge hit with the whole family!
Excellent! I love pink grapefruit but I have never found a recipe like this. Thank you for sharing! I will bake these muffins again! Best Regards from Rosario, Argentina!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sandra, thank you!
I made these yesterday, and everyone I shared them with loved them! The beaten egg whites really made these incredibly light and fluffy. I will certainly do that with some other muffin recipes in the future. I did cut the sugar to 3/4 of a cup and found them plenty sweet.
Wonderful, Rebecca, I’m so glad you and everyone else enjoyed them and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Kimberly! My first batch just came out of the oven and these are AMAZING! They might just be my new favorite. Thanks so much, again, for this recipe! YUM!
Heather, I am so thrilled to hear that! I just love the smell of these muffins and the aroma that fills my kitchen when I make them. I’m so happy they were a hit and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
These look amazing! LOVE the idea of using grapefruit. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I’m going to bake 2 batches of these tomorrow for church on Sunday.
Pinning!
Thanks so much, Heather! I’m a huge pink grapefruit fan and it just seems a shame that they’re so under-utilized in baking and cooking. They enjoy center stage in these yummy muffins :) Thanks so much for pinning!
Love it, love it, love it!!!!. I happen to have a pink grapefruit tree with lots and,lots of grapefruits, and ran out of ideas of what to do with them, thank you!!!!!
Wonderful!! I’m so happy you found these, Marlis! In an effort to use up those grapefruits, you may also be interested in the Pink Grapefruit Cream Pie. And for a very unique entree, you might also want to try the Pan-seared Chicken with Pink Grapefruit Cream Sauce. Happy Baking or Cooking – whichever the case may be! :)
These look delicious!
Hi Jenn, thanks for stopping by and for the compliment! If you like pink grapefruit, which I’m obsessed with, you will definitely love these!
I made these yesterday and they were soooo good! I followed your directions exactly and they turned out great! I love that they were moist and had a candied grapefruit and yet tang to them. Yum, yum! Thank you!
Woo-hoo! So glad you liked them, Susan! The grapefruit zest in the crumbly candied topping definitely gives it a “zip” and a “tang” – I agree, it’s a nice contrast to the sweetness. Thanks for trying them and for your feedback!
These look wonderful, grapefruit is a favorite of my partners and mine, they just taste so fresh. I know he will love these as will I. I can’t wait to give them a try, thank you for sharing your recipe :)
Thanks for visiting and for the compliment, Emma. Greetings to Great Britain!
Mmmmm, these look so tasty! I love love love grapefruit in baked goods…more unusual than lemon or orange, and so yummy!
Thank you, Sara! It’s true, not something you see very often, but oh so good.
I don’t know if it’s grapefruit season here now, but I know that I would love these muffins! They look gorgeous!
Thank you, Medeja! Some of your lovely homemade yogurt would be the perfect accompaniment.
Brilliant! I love citrus season and love baking with it even more. I bet grapefruit makes one delicious muffin! I tried making muffins with blood oranges a few days ago and it didn’t work out so hot for me so I’m looking forward to your grapefruit idea. They look like the perfect breakfast!
Yum, I love blood oranges as well! I would imagine plugging the orange zest and juice into this recipe formula would work nicely. I took a bit of a shot in the dark with these ingredient ratios, including but they turned out perfectly, which I’m really happy about. Thanks for the compliment, Julia, and for stopping by.