Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable)

Moist muffins with fresh lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds, perfect for any time of day.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
06 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 2 large eggs
08 - ⅔ cup whole milk
09 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
11 - Zest of 2 lemons
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Lemon Glaze

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

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, whole milk, melted butter, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
04 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the tops turn lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth, then drizzle over cooled muffins.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're ready in under an hour, which means you can have homemade muffins before most people finish their coffee.
  • The poppy seeds add this subtle crunch that keeps your mouth interested with every bite.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes them taste bright and alive, not like that artificial citrus flavor from extracts.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the most common reason muffins turn out dense and tough—fold gently and walk away even if you see a few streaks of flour.
  • Room-temperature eggs and melted butter that's been cooled mix together more smoothly than cold ingredients, so don't skip the cooling step on the butter.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes an enormous difference; bottled juice tastes flat and slightly bitter by comparison, and it's not worth the shortcut.
03 -
  • Zest your lemons before you juice them—you get more control and less waste, and the zest stays dry instead of getting soggy from the juice.
  • Bring your eggs and milk to room temperature before mixing; cold ingredients don't incorporate as smoothly and can create lumps in the batter.
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