Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze
Bright, tangy, and fluffy, these lemon poppyseed muffins are the perfect breakfast to cheer up your morning and remind you of summer!
I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready for the warm weather. I love wintertime and cold weather, but there’s something about the spring that can’t be beat. To celebrate, I made these lemon poppyseed muffins—soft and moist, they are such a light and summery treat!
Ingredients for Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Though the ingredient list for these muffins is a longer one, most items are pantry staples that you’ll have on hand.
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- Unsalted butter. Butter helps boost the depth of flavor.
- Vegetable oil. To keep the muffins moist.
- Granulated sugar. Of course, sugar sweetens the muffins.
- Eggs. Provide structure.
- Lemons. Obviously, you need lemons for lemon poppyseed muffins! You’ll be using both the lemon juice and zest in this recipe.
- Lemon extract. Lemon extract helps to deepen the lemon flavor instead of just using lemon juice (whose flavor can often be neutralized because of the baking soda).
- Vanilla extract. Though you won’t taste it, vanilla extract is an overall flavor enhancer. Feel free to omit it if you don’t have any, though!
- Whole milk. Milk creates a soft crumb and texture.
- Sour cream. I absolutely love sour cream for any cake—it adds a beautiful moistness.
- All-purpose flour. Flour creates structure.
- Baking powder. You may be surprised at the amount of leavener in this recipe, but you’ll need it! A full tablespoon of baking powder is needed to ensure a good rise, but be sure to use double-acting baking powder!
- Baking soda. Baking soda is another leavener to help your muffins rise.
- Salt. Like anything, this recipe need a good pinch of salt to help balance and enhance flavors.
- Poppyseeds. Duh, for lemon poppyseed muffins, you need poppyseeds!
- Powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is used in the lemon glaze. You could technically omit the topping, but I wouldn’t—without the glaze, the muffins have a muted lemon flavor.
Lemon Poppyseed Muffin FAQ
- Why do I need to rub the sugar and lemon zest together? By rubbing sugar with lemon (or any citrus fruit’s) zest, the sugar granules cut into the peel and release oils with tons of flavor. It’s a really simple step, but I think it elevates the flavor of the muffins overall.
- Why do I need to rest the batter? By resting the muffin batter, you allow the baking powder to activate and start the leavening process. Since baking powder is double-acting, it begins to rise first when mixed with the wet ingredients, then it rises again when placed in the hot oven. By resting the batter, you ensure that the baking powder has a head start and will have a good rise once baked.
- Can I make the muffin batter ahead of time? Yes! Feel free to place the batter in the fridge overnight instead of resting for an hour, then bake them in the morning!
- Why do I reduce the baking temperature after 5 minutes? Baking muffins at a high temperature at first gives the baking powder a boost and helps them rise well!
Happy muffin making! Let me know any questions you have in the comments!
Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze
Bright, tangy, and fluffy, these lemon poppyseed muffins are the perfect breakfast to cheer up your morning and remind you of summertime!
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Servings: 12 large muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup whole milk (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup sour cream (at room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons poppyseeds
For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Around 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest for about a minute, until the sugar clumps slightly and is thoroughly mixed.
- In the same bowl, add the melted butter, vegetable oil, and eggs to the sugar and whisk to combine. Pour in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon zest, milk, and sour cream and mix until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rest for 1 hour (you can skip this step, but you won't get as much of a rise on your muffins).
- Preheat an oven to 425°F and line a muffin tin. Scoop the rested muffin batter into the muffin liners, filling nearly to the top. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking, then place in the oven.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F, then decrease the oven temperature to 375°F without opening the oven and bake for 8-15 more minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Set the muffins aside to cool and prepare the glaze. In a bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a thin icing is formed. If it is too loose, add more powdered sugar; if it's too stiff, add more lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over each muffin and allow to set. Enjoy!
