Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable version)

Moist, zesty muffins bursting with fresh lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds. An easy homemade treat ready in under 40 minutes.

# Ingredient List:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tbsp poppy seeds
04 - 2 tsp baking powder
05 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
06 - 1/4 tsp salt

→ Wet Ingredients

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

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with cooking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined—do not overmix. Small lumps are acceptable and will result in tender muffins.
05 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. An ice cream scoop works well for portioning.
06 - Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
07 - Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The texture walks that perfect line between tender cupcake and hearty breakfast muffin
  • They freeze beautifully so you can pull out sunshine on any desperate morning
  • The lemon flavor hits bright without being aggressive thanks to the zest and juice balance
02 -
  • Melted butter creates a denser more tender crumb than softened butter which is what you want here
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent the butter from solidifying into tiny lumps when they meet
  • The muffins are done when they pull away slightly from the tin edges not just when a toothpick is clean
03 -
  • Zest your lemons before cutting them for juice it is infinitely easier
  • Use a cookie scoop for perfectly portioned muffin tops

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