the best lemon poppyseed muffins

That is not an idle description of these muffins - around here, they are legendary. Eight years after I closed my baking business, I still have people stop, look at me in a stricken way, and say "You're the lemon poppyseed lady". Maybe I should start baking them again!

These muffins are dense, but not heavy. Forget rice crackers - these muffins hold the fort for a good few hours after eating. The tops are brushed with a lemon/sugar glaze, so they are delightfully sticky and have that sweet/tangy taste on the tongue. There are not so many poppyseeds that they taste dusty and awful. They can be baked in any form - Texas size, minis, regular muffin size, hearts - and I suppose rabbits and eggs, as we come up to Easter. I'm making and freezing these for Easter company, since we'll be busy with the carrot cake and turkey ( ham?).

To make:

Preheat oven to 340F.

Grease the tins of your choice with butter or crisco.

zest of two lemons ( nice, big ones)

6 T. poppyseeds

3 cups King Arthur flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 t. baking powder

6 large eggs

1 T. vanilla

6 T. milk

3 sticks softened unsalted butter

Grate the lemon zest into the mixer bowl. Add the poppyseeds.

Add the flour, sugar, and baking powder. With mixer on low, add the eggs, vanilla, and milk.

With mixture still going, drop in the butter, piece by piece. This is really important! A picture of what the batter should look like is above. The butter must be soft and must be whipped in properly.

Scoop the batter into tins - I use two normal size ice cream scoops for Texas size, one scoop for regular size. This makes 20 regular size and around 9 Texas size.

Bake for around 30 minutes ( all ovens are different) or until the muffins have risen and are somewhat firm in the middle of the crown. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.

Make the glaze:

In small pot, place equal amounts of sugar and fresh lemon juice. I usually use:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Pop the muffins out of the tins, and place on racks set into a baking sheet to catch the drips.

Brush muffins with lemon glaze several times. The second photo from the top shows what they will look like - sticky, and somewhat shiny. As the glaze soaks in, they will become less sticky.

So there it is - absolutely the best lemon poppyseed muffin ever! Enjoy!

Note: I have no connections with King Arthur Flour. I specify King Arthur because it is my flour of choice. If you use a different flour, you may need to adjust the measurements. Thanks!