Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
The Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins take me way back to my very first blog. It was called Miles, Muffins, and Memories. I shared all the [painful] steps on my journey to completing my first half marathon, lots of muffin recipes, and the fun memories I was creating with my then young children.
My children aren’t so young anymore. Running is no longer a serious endeavor (although I do still run at least three times a week and I LOVE it. I’ve completed seven half marathons and have my sights on one in the fall), and my blogging skills have evolved (lucky for you). But my family still does love muffins.
Why You’ll Love Them:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are one of the classic muffin flavors. You can buy the at the bakery, find them in fine restaurants, and sometimes even score nut-free mini muffins in the grocery store. (Be sure to always read the ingredients.)
But sometimes, the store-bought version of these muffins can feel so heavy. So greasy. So fake.
Luckily, there’s nothing fake about these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. They are made completely from “real” ingredients–a quality I used to obsess over, but no just appreciate because it makes food taste good.
Plus, these muffins are simple to make. Most muffins are really. All you need is a good foundation recipe and you can mix it up with different flavors and mix-ins. These muffins pack well, and are sure to delight your tastebuds.
If you like lemon, you’ll love these muffins.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Making these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins is a piece of cake. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. You can grease the pan instead, but I’m partial to paper liners. Most of the time I just use these brown paper liners. (They actually come in tons of colors). They are simple, sophisticated, and go with everything. But for holidays, special occasions, and photo shoots I often pick fun designs or colors. Life is pretty serious, but muffins can be fun!
While the oven is heating melt your butter. Like to cut it into bite-sized pieces and place it in a microwave safe bowl. I cover the bowl with a paper towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds. I stir, and then heat again for another 30 seconds. This is usually enough to melt all the butter (if it’s cut into small enough pieces) and prevent a butter explosion in the microwave. Once the butter is melted set it aside to cool.
The zest your lemons and set aside 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon peel. It doesn’t have to be exact. Whatever you get from two lemons, which will give about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, is fine.
In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well. In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs. Whisk until well combined. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix. This results in heavy muffins.
Bake Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins at 375 degrees for about 16-20 minutes. The muffins are done when the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the muffins are baking, whip up your glaze. The glaze is optional. I usually omit because we like to pack these Lemon Poppyseed Muffins in lunches and enjoy them all week long. If you put glaze on too early the muffins get soggy. But if you are going to serve them for breakfast or tea and enjoy right away, don’t skip this step.
To make the glaze simply combine confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl and stir until smooth.
Remove the baked muffins from the oven and coat with the glaze. Allow to cool ten minutes in the pan, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
That’s it. That’s all there is to making Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.
Enjoy Them!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins make a great breakfast or a snack. They’re a beautiful accompaniment to a nice brunch. Their vibrant color and enticing lemon aroma will make your guests’ mouths water. They are also the perfect packable treat. And they can even pass for dessert.
You can switch up the flour. All purpose works just as well as white whole wheat. You can even use whole wheat pastry flour. But add about 1/4 cup because pastry flour is not as dense. Sometimes I use chia seed instead of poppy seeds. No-one will know the difference.
Happy Eating!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Equipment
- Small and medium mixing bowls, wooden spoon, muffin tin
Ingredients
Muffins
- 3 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds or chia seeds
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt 2%
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
Glaze
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- coarse sugar for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin time with paper liners.
- Melt butter and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy or chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Gently fold yogurt mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in melted butter. Do not overmix. If you overmix, the muffins will be dense.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Bake until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-20 minutes. Rotate muffin tin halfway through baking.
- While muffin are baking, combine confectioners sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until it forms a syrup.
- Remove muffins from oven and brush immediately with lemon glaze. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool for another 10 minutes before serving.
- Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.
