Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins by Barbara

Tender and lemony with plenty of poppy seeds

UPDATED 2023

My notes say that I first made these muffins back in 2012 for our grandson's First Communion brunch.  He is now a junior in college.  Since then, I have made many, many muffins, so I've updated the recipe to reflect the techniques I have learned for making tender, moist muffins. 

 

These muffins are very easy to make.  Recently, I made two batches and froze them for future use.  Now, I think the recipe is just right for a true muffin with lots of lemony flavor and a pleasant pop from the poppy seeds.  

For fun, I am posting the original recipe from 2012 which came from an old cookbook called Home-style by Ivy Vann.  Her recipe is very good, too, but it makes more of a cupcake than a muffin. 

    ---Barbara

 There are over a million poppy seeds in a pound!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 16 medium or 12 extra large muffins

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup poppy seeds
grated rind of 2 lemons
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole yoghurt (Stonyfield)

2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

2 T. lemon juice mixed with confectioner's sugar to taste (about 3 T.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease the muffin tins with butter or baking spray.

Melt the butter.  Takes about 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Then, get everything ready to go.  Including squeezing the lemons to make lemon juice and measuring out the yoghurt and cracking the eggs.

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients including the grated lemon rind. 

Whisk the eggs into the yogurt.  

Add the 1/3 cup lemon juice to the melted butter which should be cool by now.

Add the lemon butter mixture to the dry ingredients, then stir it together until everything is coated well. 

Add the yoghurt egg mixture and gently fold until the batter is evenly smooth and there aren't any dry pockets remaining.  This takes about 25 stirs.

Spoon into greased muffin tins.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes if making 16 medium muffins or 22 minutes if making 12 extra large muffins.   

While the muffins bake, mix the powdered sugar into the remaining lemon juice, until it tastes like tart lemonade.

The muffins will brown around the edges, but not on top.  

Remove from oven and immediately poke 6 to 8 holes in the tops of the muffins 

and spoon the lemon glaze over them.  It's okay if it runs down the sides into the pan.  

Remove from pans when lukewarm, after 10 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

They freeze well.

B