Cooking Lesson #1182: Tender & Tasty Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? My Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are about the best ever… if I do say so myself! It’s my standard muffin base I use for a wide variety of flavors. With just a couple simple tweaks, you can go from fresh lemon poppy seed muffins to any other flavors you desire. This is a solid and quite forgiving muffin recipe where the possibilities are endless.
 
A healthy dose of poppy seeds gives these sweet muffins a slight crunch. That’s the best part about poppy seed muffins! The poppy seeds are a perfect contrast to the muffin’s soft interior.
 
This recipe is pretty basic. One important thing to note, however, is to expect a thick and airy batter. Don’t be tempted to add more liquid; you want a nice thick batter so the muffins hold shape. Don’t fill the muffin pan too high as they do spread out into mushroom-looking tops when overfilled. For the best tangy-sweet and tender (and aromatic, too) lemon poppy seed muffins, top them with a sweet lemon icing. That makes a special breakfast treat taste like it came straight from your family’s favorite fresh bakery.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  20 minutes
Yield:  12 muffins
 
Ingredients 
For the muffins
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 stick (8 tablespoons) softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large room temperature eggs
1/2 cup room temperature sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract)
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup room temperature whole milk
 
For the lemon icing
1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
 
Directions
To make the muffins

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Preheat an oven to 425° F.
3. Spray a 12-count muffin pan lined with cupcake liners with nonstick spray and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds together and set aside.
5. In another large bowl and using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
6. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
7. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla and lemon extracts, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed and beat until combined.
8. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mixture may look a little chunky and curded—that’s okay.
9. With the mixer running at low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until no flour pockets remain.
10. Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin cup.
11. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425° F.
12. Keep the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350° F.
13. Bake for an additional 15 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake!
14. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

To make the icing

1. Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and drizzle over warm or cooled muffins.
2. Cover and store leftover muffins for up to 3 days at room temperature.

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ChefSecret:  For jumbo muffins:  Preheat an oven to 425° F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6 jumbo muffins. Refrigerated ingredients should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. You can fold in about 1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen berries (do not thaw) into the batter before spooning into the pan and baking.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. Why is a baseball team similar to a muffin? A: They both rely on the batter.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food. We have hundreds of archived Covid Era recipes which you can easily access using this link https://www.perspectives-la.com/Covid-19-Survival-Guide
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, kind, thankful, and stay well and safe. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission, Samaritan’s Purse and/or American Red Cross.

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