Lemon, Poppy Seed and Rosemary Muffins

It might be because it is finally warming up and this stupid snow is finally melting, but I'm feeling spring creeping up around the corner! That could be part of the reason that my most recent obsession has been lemon poppy seed muffins. The cafe around the corner from my work has the best muffins, and lately these have been an option other than their usual raspberry or blueberry. (I have no comment on the banana ones, because bananas=gross!) I'm eating them just about daily, so I figured it was time I tried making some from scratch!


Surprisingly, there aren't a whole lot of recipes for these that I found, and many got bad reviews. The one I used from Joy the Baker had some people raving, so I decided to give it a shot. I do like them quite a bit, but think I'll try the using buttermilk in them next time, instead of the sour cream. My only real issue was that they tasted nothing like the yummy ones I enjoy for breakfast, and I'm a bit obsessed with recreating those. In the mean time, these are (and always will be) a different but delicious alternative!

You can find the original recipe here (along with a link to a printable copy!).

Ingredients
*The original recipe calls for a glaze, but I prefer mine plain. Check out the link above for those instructions.

2/3 Cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 Cup buttermilk or sour cream ( I used light sour cream)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, melted until browned and cooled
2 Tbsp poppyseeds
1 Tbs rosemary (My addition, not called for in the original recipe)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar


Line a 12 cup muffin tin and preheat your oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the center. The recipe calls for putting the muffin tin on a baking sheet (which I did) and I'm not sure why. I've made lots of muffins and not done this before, so next time I make these I'm going to omit this step. It's your call though!

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together until well mixed. (It will smell heavenly!) Next, whisk in the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

Melt the stick of butter until browned. When browning butter, I find it helpful to occasionally stir it with a spoon or spatula, or gently swirl the pot around so it doesn't get too foamy. Once ready, it will be dark and smell a bit nutty. I always tend to burn mine a bit, only because I prefer the flavor. (Man oh man, do I love butter!) It's very easy to over brown it, so keep a close eye on the stove. Set aside to cool.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermillk/sourcream, vanilla and lemon juice. Once the butter has cooled, slowly whisk it in. (If the butter is hot, you might end up just cooking the eggs a bit, and that is most definitely not the goal here!)

Now, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together. I reversed this step and mixed the dry into the wet, only because I have better luck doing it in this order. Folding is more gentle than mixing, and helps control the gluten from over developing. Here's one of many helpful links that explain it! I over mixed mine just a bit, and the consistency quickly turned very doughy (think bread dough). Be careful to not over mix!

Once you are almost done combining the wet and dry ingredients, add the poppy seeds and rosemary.

Fill muffin cups with batter and lightly sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees. My oven is sort of whimpy sometimes, so I baked these bad boys for over 20 minutes, while the original recipe calls for 15-18. Adjust based on your oven, since none are alike, just like snowflakes.

These tasty little guys will be golden on top and let a wooden toothpick out clean when they're ready. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack.

Enjoy!