These lemon poppy seed muffins are a delight. They are fluffy and super soft. But at the same time they are crunchy on top, because the top layer is gets crunchy while in the oven, and they have another crispy touch also because of the poppy seeds themselves.
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The best part of using poppy seeds in any kind of dessert is that they remain crispy. Even after baking or cooking them in a dessert. So, these muffins have those little crunchy bubbles inside, the poppy seeds, that are simply amazing!
The contrast of softness and crispiness here is the best part. Plus, the flavor of these muffins is great. The tangy touch of the lemon or lime with the cream makes it very tasty. In addition, any kind of ingredient that makes the mixture a little more acidic, makes the baking powder work very well, and the result is very airy and almost impossibly fluffy muffins.
They have an incomparable texture and are incredibly rich. And at the end, we put a simple glaze on top, which combines perfectly with the muffins. The glaze is sweet and a little crunchy when it dries up.
These muffins by themselves are not very sweet, which we love. So, topping them with a little of this glaze makes them even better and richer. I can’t think of a better recipe to give as a gift to friends or for a nice brunch at home, for example. Only, yes, there are many recipes right here on our blog that are great for all kinds of occasions, but this one, this is surely one of the best.
If you like this recipe, you have to check out our cream cheese muffins with lemon and blueberries, you’re going to love it, guaranteed! It’s an extremely soft muffin recipe with lots of flavor and color!
Lemon poppy seed muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 C (9.17 oz) (260 gr) all purpouse flour
- 2 1/2 tsp (0.44 oz) (12.5 gr) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.042 oz) (1.2 gr) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (0.088 oz) (2.5 gr) salt
- 3/4 C (5.30 oz) (150 gr) white sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon or lime zest
- 2 eggs, big
- 1/2 C (3.95 oz) (112 gr) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 C (6.35 oz) (180 gr) sour cream, or regular heavy cream
- 1/3 C (2.82 oz) (80 gr) whole milk
- 2 tbsp (1 fl oz) (30 ml) natural lemon or lime juice
- 1 tsp (0.17 fl oz) (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
For the glaze:
- 1/2 C (2.15 oz) (61 gr) confesctioners sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tbsp (0.50 fl oz) (15 ml) lemon or lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410º F (210° C). Place muffin liners in a 12 large muffin tin. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Separately, in a large bowl, add in the sugar with the lemon zest and using your fingertips, rub them together. This will help bring out the oils from the lemon zest, giving the muffins more flavor.
- Add in the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand whisk or an electric mixer for 2 minutes until you get a lighter, fluffier mixture.
- Add the flour mixture in two separate additions, beating for 10 seconds after each one to get a smooth batter. Finally, add the poppy seeds and beat just until incorporated.
- Carefully pour the batter into the 12 muffin cups, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake the muffins at 410º F (210° C) for approximately 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top or when a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- While the muffins are baking, to make the glaze add to a medium bowl the powdered sugar with the lemon juice and mix with a fork for a few seconds until a slightly thick glaze is formed.
- Take the muffins out of the oven, let them cool down for at least 15 minutes and then decorate them with the glaze.
