Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I love a good muffin but don't seem to make them very often. When I do get round to baking them I like to make a big batch and store them in the freezer so that I've got them on hand for a quick breakfast or snack when needed.

It is difficult to pick a favourite flavour, but if I had to I think I would go for lemon poppy seed muffins; their fresh flavour never disappoints and they are so quick and easy to make.

The main key to making good homemade muffins is to make sure that you don't overmix the batter – that will lead to tough muffins.

For this reason I always mix muffins by hand, never with an electric mixer. But don't worry, they still only take a few minutes to whip up and they bake in fifteen minutes so you are only half an hour away from a batch of delicious fresh muffins.

These ones are flavoured with both lemon zest and juice as well as being topped with a tart lemon glaze to make sure that they are full of fresh lemon flavour.

Poppy seeds add some texture and crunch, and I used yogurt in the batter to keep them light and moist. As with most home-made muffins, these are best eaten on the day they are made; but they will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days.

You can also stash them in the freezer and then either defrost at room temperature, in a low oven or in the microwave.

My favourite way to eat these is topped with a generous dollop of lemon curd because I like my lemon to be almost overpowering - try it!

I originally made these lemon poppy seed muffins for DIYs, check them out for some awesome craft and recipe ideas.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Muffins:

• 260 g (2 cups) plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
• juice of 1 lemon
• 110 g (1 stick) butter melted and cooled slightly
• 180 g (¾ cup) low fat Greek style yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Glaze:

• 125 g (1 cup) icing (powdered) sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with muffin liners.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until very well combined.
• In a large jug, whisk together the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, yogurt and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry along with the poppy seeds and fold together gently until just combined. There should be no pockets of flour left but be careful not to overmix.
• Divide the mixture evenly amongst the muffin liners, I use a trigger ice cream scoop to do this.
• Bake for five minutes then without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and gradually stir in the lemon juice until it is thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the muffins and serve. Best eaten on the day they are made but will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days.