Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable Version)

Moist, citrus-infused muffins studded with poppy seeds and bright lemon glaze, ideal for morning or sweet treats.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
04 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 3/4 cup whole milk
09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
11 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Lemon Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

# How to Make It:

01 - Set the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat eggs with milk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until homogeneous.
04 - Fold wet ingredients into dry using a spatula until just combined; do not overmix—some lumps are acceptable.
05 - Distribute batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
07 - Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth; adjust consistency with additional juice if needed.
09 - Drizzle glaze over fully cooled muffins and allow to set for 10 minutes prior to serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They stay incredibly moist for days, which means you can actually enjoy them beyond the first morning.
  • The lemon flavor is bright without being sharp—it tastes like someone distilled sunshine into a muffin.
  • They come together in under 20 minutes of actual work, but taste like you spent way more effort.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the fastest way to turn these into dense, tough muffins, so when you fold the wet and dry ingredients together, stop as soon as you see streaks of flour—trust the process.
  • Zest your lemons before you juice them, because once they're cut open and juiced, you can't get the zest off the inside of the juicer.
  • The difference between a muffin that's done and one that's slightly underbaked is just 30 seconds, so keep an eye on them after the 16-minute mark.
03 -
  • Room-temperature ingredients mix more smoothly and create a more tender crumb, so pull your eggs and milk out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • A microplane grater is the best tool for zesting because it gets only the bright yellow outer layer without the bitter white pith underneath.

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