Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
If Monday gives you lemons…make a batch of Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! Last week I had a crazy busy Monday and this week looks like it will be the same. If you’re heading into a hectic week too, a little Sunday night baking is a great way to have something yummy stocked up for the week. The great thing about muffins is that they keep well in the freezer or you can keep the batter in the refrigerator and bake individual muffins as you want them. That way they are always fresh and ready to go!
The recipe I’m sharing today is adapted from My Darling Vegan. I tried to keep these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins as healthy as possible by using whole wheat flour, avocado oil, and skim milk. I did include a lemon glaze in the recipe, but it’s totally optional if you’re watching your sugar intake. The muffins aren’t overly sweet on their own though, so a light drizzle of glaze won’t turn them into cupcakes or anything.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Start by preheating the oven to 375°F and lining a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment liners. If you don’t have liners, spray the pan with cooking spray or dab some avocado oil on a paper towel and wipe down each well in the pan. Then, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl to make buttermilk and set aside. Plant based milk could also be used to make this a vegan recipe.
In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, avocado oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract. It’s really important to use freshly squeezed lemon juice–not the bottled kind. Since you’ll need a lemon for the zest anyway, you might as well juice it too to get the most out of it. If you can’t find lemon extract, vanilla can be used instead. Just increase the amount of lemon zest to make up for it.
In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose and whole wheat flours along with baking soda, baking powder, poppy seeds, and Celtic sea salt. Then, combine the “buttermilk” with the other wet ingredients and add them all to the large bowl with dry ingredients. Gently fold everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula until a batter forms. Be sure not to overmix.
Fill each well in the muffin tin about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean when they are done. Let the muffins rest for about 10 minutes in the pan and then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
When they are totally cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Then drizzle it over the muffins before serving. Note that the glaze may soak in a little bit, so I recommend glazing each muffin individually before serving.
These are my favorite, yumm