Oh spring, you’re such a tease.
Naturally the 70-degree, sunny weather couldn’t last, but did you have to go so far in the opposite direction, so quickly? Now grey clouds have rolled in and settled downward, engulfing and insulating our little town from the rest of the world. Like a blanket of cushy bubble wrap, I’m comfortably stuck in place; this fog is thick enough that I can pretend it’s still winter. Not that I really want to, of course… I think we’ve all had enough winter for one, or perhaps two years at this point.
So here we are, arriving at April’s doorstep.
The atmosphere is just barely warmed over and the forecast still foreboding. The only thing to do is bake muffins, and those muffins absolutely must contain bright, cheerful citrus- I think it might even be a law in some states. Consider these simple yet comforting lemon-poppy seed sweets as artificial sunshine for this dark, chilly time in between seasons. Better than an anti-depressant, in my opinion.
Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins
Brimming with bright, zest flavor, these tender muffins are topped with a light crumb for a crispy, satisfyingly chewy bite all around the edges.
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Poppy Seeds
Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins:
- 2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Poppy Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Vegan Sour Cream or Non-Dairy Yogurt
- 2/3 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking tin of 12 standard muffin cups.
- To first make the topping, simply mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a fork, until thoroughly combined and slightly clumpy. Set aside.
- Moving on to the main muffins, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, poppy seeds, and salt in a large bowl. Make sure that all of the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the “sour cream” or yogurt, lemon juice, canola oil, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour these wet goods into the bowl of dry, and with a wide spatula, stir just enough to bring the two together. Make sure there are no remaining pockets of flour hiding in the batter, but it’s alright if a few small lumps remain.
- Distribute the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and don’t be afraid to really mound them up- The more the tins are filled, the better the muffin tops will be. Sprinkle your poppy seed topping evenly over each unbaked muffin, piling it on until you’ve used it all up.
- Bake for 16 – 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the muffins comes out clean, with perhaps just a few moist but fully baked crumbs clinging to it.
- Let rest in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack until completely cool.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 4g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.