Lemon Poppy-Seed Muffins
By Yankee Magazine|Apr 21 2002|
Yield
9 to 12 muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup poppy seeds
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder and mix well. In another bowl combine the sour cream, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and extracts and mix well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients all at once. Mix lightly until the mixture is just moistened. Add the lemon rind and poppy seeds, tossing lightly to mix.
Spoon 1/2 cup of batter into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack.
Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the muffins while they are still very warm.
I make muffins all the time. This is one of the worst muffins I have ever made. No taste, plus real heavy. Threw them all away. My husband and I took two bites and that was enough for us.
This is definitely a breakfast muffin, not a dessert muffin — but my husband and I loved them precisely because they are not too sweet and caky. I used half and half whole wheat pastry flour, a handful of wheat germ, plus I increased the extracts and zest slightly to compensate for the whole wheat flavor. The glaze is important since it not only makes them pretty & tempting, but it also gives a burst of lemony sweetness to set off the wholesome not-so-sweet flavor of the muffins.