Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
The cool-turned-warm spring air makes me want to bust out every citrus fruit I can get my hands on and start baking up a storm. The scent of lemons, oranges and limes make the whole world seem brighter. I love their light and fresh flavor and have a ball baking with them once the weather turns. One of my absolute favorite lemon recipes are the Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes that I made a couple of summers ago. They are awesome, and these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins would certainly be a great way to start a day that ended with those cupcakes ;-)
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All of the Dorie Greenspan recipes I have ever tried have been out-of-the-park winners and these muffins are no exception. They are light, supremely moist, and positively bursting with lemon flavor. With a healthy dose of poppy seeds, these have rocketed to the top of one of my favorite breakfast treats. While I enjoy oatmeal on most mornings, it’s always great to treat yourself to something like muffins, cinnamon rolls or bagels on occasion. And these muffins have definitely secured themselves a spot in my “treat rotation” list!
One year ago: Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Three years ago: Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (133.33 g) sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ cup (172.5 ml) sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- 1. 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.
- 2. 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.
- 3. 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.
- *Note: The recipe calls for a glaze but I didn't use it.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I made these yesterday morning and I think they were o.k….nothing great. IMO they could have used a couple of tablespoons more sugar and maybe even the zest of a second lemon. I also liked the idea of Mia’s version with blueberry jam inside – I think that would give them a little more interest. Thanks for posting though…I enjoyed trying them and was able to share some with friends.
Adam’s favorite muffin. He used to have one for breakfast every day on his way to class in college. This will be a nice surprise for him one of these mornings. Yummy!
I love poppy seed muffins. In fact I ate a poppy seed muffin today and recently made orange poppy seed muffins . Maybe I’ll try these next!
The problem with making these delicious looking muffins is that I would eat EVERY SINGLE ONE! I have absolutely no control when it comes to lemon poppy seed anything!
Classic!
That looks great.
I was just going to bake some of these before I came by your recipe! Such a good combo.
These are really good! I’ve put blueberry jam in the middle before baking and they’re delicious.
Dorie’s recipes are fantastic – I’ve always had great luck with them. These muffins are going straight to my “must make” list.
These muffins look great! The only concern I would have would having poppy seeds stuck in my teeth ;)
Wow, these look so great! I am seriously wanting a nice batch of these for breakfast!
My mom used to make these for us as a special treat before school sometimes. I’d eat about 4 of them :).
Could these be made as mini-muffins? How would you adjust the cooking time for it?
Hi Erin, Definitely! I would start checking them around 8 minutes.
I love the combination of lemon and poppy seeds! Gorgeous.
These look scrumptious! Love your pictures with a little lemon and the fancy white dish too.
I’ve never been much of a fan of lemon but I always make an exception for these muffins.
You said this specific recipe calls for a glaze, but I’ve never seen them glazed, even in stores. Maybe we just like them plain here in New England?
These poppy seed muffins are right up my alley!
I love the combination of lemon and poppyseeds.. I think muffins are my favorite.
I am in love with these muffins! Yours look gorgeous. They are so perfect for spring!
Pretty little muffins! Yum!
*disppoints. I hate typos. :)
Yes! I’ve made 2 batches of these over the past 2 weekends and have been taking them for breakfast at work. I kept them frozen and just microwave them at work to keep them as fresh as possible throughout the week. They are SO delicious and I even subbed in oil instead of butter, used a GF flour mix, and Meyer lemons. Even my husband couldn’t tell they weren’t made with AP flour. Dorie never disapoints!
This exact recipe has been at the top of my list to make for a week now. I keep telling everyone I’m going to make them lemon poppy seed muffins but the weekend slipped away from me. Thanks for inspiring me again!
I posted muffins today too! Can’t wait to try these next!
I adore a good lemon poppy seed muffin!
I love the look of these muffins! As is they are inviting you to take a bite.
i’ve been looking for a lemon muffin recipe, so this is great! might leave out the poppy seeds and add cranberries – i always see that combination in a scone at starbucks and it looks so good!
This is one of my favorite muffins of all time! I don’t have a good recipe for it though. I’ll try these tonight!
You’re right, these would be a wonderful breakfast treat! :)
These look yummmmmy! Lemon is one of my most favorite flavors (next to chocolate!) and I don’t bake lemon goodies near enough. Thanks for the recipe-I’m gonna make a batch in the morning!
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