Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
18 Jan 2012
Sometimes happiness is tinged with a tiny sadness. Like today, when I was cleaning out our cabinets and accidentally knocked the jar of poppy seeds onto the floor. Smash! A thousand little seeds went everywhere. But at least I had these muffins!
The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan, and it’s a winner! (Dorie would never lead us astray!) There is an optional glaze, which I skipped, but you can find it in her glorious book Baking: From My Home to Yours
. One of the greatest things I’ve learned from Dorie is to work your lemon zest into your sugar with your fingers. It makes such a difference! And it makes me ever more grateful for our Microplane Grater
(no pun intended!)
I adore muffins, and lemon poppy seed has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s the tiny little crunches you get in every bite. Or maybe it’s just that citrus has always been a friend of mine. In any case, they are definitely the first muffin I’d reach for!
These are wonderfully light and full of flavor. I loved having them for breakfast and with afternoon tea. Hope you enjoy!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours
2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
-Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.
-In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of lemon strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough – a few lumps are better than over mixing the batter. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffins cups.
-Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Jan 18, 2012 @ 12:49:26
“Poppyseeds! Went! EVERYWHERE!” I am sorry you dropped the seeds but at least they weren’t dishwashers 😉
Jan 18, 2012 @ 21:45:42
This is one of those occasions upon which you wish to use the obnoxious ROFL thingy because you *really* mean it! Yes, it could have been much worse! It could have been dishwashers! Let’s please put telling Mr. Isbell stories on the list for our sleepover extravaganza: “Mom! I need a new car!” 🙂
Jan 21, 2012 @ 12:47:13
My life would seem tinged with sadness if I wanted to make lemon poppyseed muffins, got out all my ingredients out and found that I HAD no poppy seeds, and that leaving the house to obtain said seeds was NOT going to happen bc I was wearing short orange knit shorts on which I had spilled flour, no bra, and a stained racing singlet plus I had not washed my hair. Now THAT would be sad.
Jan 22, 2012 @ 15:32:18
Oh no! That is sad, but also hilarious!
Besfrinn’s Baby Shower | Krug the Thinker
Feb 19, 2012 @ 20:48:14
[…] Melissa‘s punch. It was so delightfully crunchy, I could drink it every day! I baked some lemon poppyseed muffins and some lemon tea cookies, and the citrus theme seemed to go over fairly well! That gorgeous cake […]
Apr 08, 2013 @ 15:42:59
I love a good muffin.
Poppy’s are the state flower.
Apr 11, 2013 @ 15:30:33
I love muffins, and poppies too! One of my favorite flowers.