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Freshly baked lemon poppy seed muffins with glaze on a white plate, with lemons in the background.
Daniel

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Bright, tender muffins bursting with fresh lemon and crunchy poppy seeds - the perfect morning treat that tastes like sunshine.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 245

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt full-fat, room temperature
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest from 2 large lemons, finely grated
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice plus more as needed

Equipment

  • 12-cup muffin tin
  • Paper liners or cooking spray
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Microplane or fine grater
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or grease well with butter or cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Break up any clumps of poppy seeds so they distribute evenly.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. The mixture will look slightly curdled from the lemon - this is normal.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined - about 10 to 12 strokes. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy; do not overmix or your muffins will be tough.
  5. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
  6. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  7. Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth and pourable, adding more juice by the teaspoon if needed. Drizzle over the cooled muffins and let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients emulsify better - cold yogurt or eggs can make the batter seize up. For extra lemon punch, brush the warm muffin tops with a simple syrup of 2 tablespoons sugar dissolved in 2 tablespoons lemon juice before glazing. These freeze beautifully: wrap individually and freeze up to 2 months, then thaw overnight or microwave 20 seconds.