RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 375°F. On a 12-well muffin pan, run a buttered finger around the top of each well (just enough grease so muffin tops won’t stick to the pan), then add paper liners. Rinse and drain the blueberries well. Gently pat dry with a paper towel to remove more water.

1. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the flour for later. Add remaining flour to a medium mixing bowl along with baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set the bowl aside.
2. Add blueberries to a small bowl with the reserved tablespoon of flour. Toss until well coated. This technique keeps fruit from sinking down to the bottom of the batter. Set the bowl aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (at least 2 minutes). Add in vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract (if using). Mix to combine.
4. This technique is very important: Add eggs to the bowl of the stand mixer – one by one, mixing well after each addition.
5. This technique is also very important: Don’t add in all the dry ingredients at once. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Blend on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Do not overmix or the batter will be dense.
6. Add sour cream to the bowl. Mix again briefly. Add more flour mixture and blend until incorporated. Add milk and mix again. Add remaining dry ingredients. Blend just until incorporated.
7. Remove mixing bowl from the stand mixer. With a rubber spatula, manually fold the floured blueberries into the batter. Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Generously fill each one all the way to the top. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon white sparkling sugar on top of each muffin.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until muffin crowns are light golden blonde and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow the treats to cool completely in the pan.