Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable Version)
Moist, zesty muffins with fresh lemon and crunchy poppy seeds. Ready in 35 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tbsp poppy seeds
04 - 2 tsp baking powder
05 - ½ tsp baking soda
06 - ¼ tsp salt
→ Wet Ingredients
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - ¾ cup whole milk
09 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
11 - zest of 2 lemons
12 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with cooking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix. Small lumps are acceptable.
05 - Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
07 - Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
# Chef's Tips:
01 -
- The crumb stays incredibly moist thanks to the perfect butter-to-milk ratio I learned after dozens of dry batches
- Fresh lemon zest and juice create this bright punch that makes these feel special even on ordinary weekdays
02 -
- Overmixing is the number one way to end up with tough, rubbery muffins, so stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour
- Room temperature ingredients blend together more smoothly, which I learned after accidentally creating tiny butter clumps in one batch
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them, since it is nearly impossible to zest a squeezed lemon half
- Use a microplane for the finest, most aromatic zest without any bitter pith