All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Sunday, April 5, 2009

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!


27 comments:

Maria said...

This is my kind of muffin!

katrina said...

Awesome, Maria! Glad you enjoyed! Of all the muffins I make, this is still my favorite .

Martha said...

These look so good. Lemon poppyseed would be perfect for Easter.

kellypea said...

Clearly I've come to the right place for a lemon poppyseed muffin recipe. I can't wait to try these!

Unknown said...

I've never made lemon poppy seed muffins, but it's something I have always wanted to do. These look delicious!

katrina said...

Hi Martha! Yes, I think they would be good for Easter, but, as I said, we're focussing on the traditional Carrot Cake (incredible!) with marzipan veggies and cream cheese frosting. They're really good any time of year -

katrina said...

Kelly - was it you who twittered for muffin recipes? That reminded me I hadn't put this on the blog....these are the best! Let me know what you think!

katrina said...

Hi Melissa - this is just the best recipe - and pretty no-fail. Hope you get to try them! Thanks for dropping in....

Anonymous said...
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Little Crow said...

Wow! Thank you...these are delisioussssss!
I baked them to bring to someone in the hospital and I cant keep my hands off them!

katrina said...

I'm delighted you liked them, Natalie! They are addictive, aren't they? And here's a hint -always make more than you need so you can freeze a few for lemon poppyseed muffin attacks! Thanks so much for your feedback!

Tracy said...

So I looked in my grocery store and King arthur has a bunch of different types of flour. Does this require AP, cake or bread flour?

katrina said...

Tracy - I use King Arthur all-purpose. I would guess you can use any all-purpose, but I've only used KA .

Tracy said...

Thank you Katrina! I will be making them this afternoon!

katrina said...

A warning, Tracy - they are highly addictive!

puret0ne said...

I searched 'the best lomon poppy seed muffin' on google and your blog came up! I'm going to make them tonight yay!! Hope I can live up to your reputation!

puret0ne

katrina said...

Wonderful! I know you're going to love them!

Anonymous said...

These muffins are The Best of The Best MUFFINS I've ever made... All my family loved it! Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.Definitly this one is a keeper...Wish you all the best;)

katrina said...

Anonymous - SOOOOO delighted you agree that these are very special muffins! Thanks for trying, and for your happy feedback!

Flying Fish said...

Quick question, how many cups are in a stick of butter. I live outside of the US and we don't have sticks here. Thanks.

katrina said...

8 tablespoons to a stick, each stick is 1/2 cup, so 16 T. to a cup!

Anonymous said...

Oh Yes, I have not even tried these yet but I have them in the oven and just by the taste of the batter...they are gonna be great! I wouldn't suppose it has to do with the 3 sticks of butter and 6 eggs? ;P
Thanks for sharing this special recipe!

katrina said...

Of course it does, tribalmama:)! But seriously, sometimes a recipe just works perfectly, and this is one of them - enjoy!

Grandma Kerry said...

My granddaughter asked for these and an internet search for "Best Lemon Poppyseed Muffins" brought your recipe to my attention. Don't haave a stand mixer, but the hand held one worked... oh for an extra pair of hands! EVERYONE loves them. Thanks for sharing.

katrina said...

Thank you, Grandma Kerry! Glad to know they STILL are the best, yum yum!

Anonymous said...

Do you think it would be possible to halve the recipe for less muffins? What about using yogurt instead of milk?

katrina said...

It seems to me I have done that a few times before, anonymous, so I would say yes. I have never swapped out the milk for yogurt - I would just be aware if you do use unsweetened yogurt, that the batter should be very thick and very creamy. Good luck!