Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
I love lemons. Especially in baked goods. There’s something so cheerful and bright about them. My favorite part of making these muffins is zesting the lemons and then rubbing the zest into the sugar to release all the wonderful citrus oils from the rind. This creates a beautifully fragrant lemon sugar that will leave your muffins bursting with perfect lemon flavor. I will truly never get tired of baking and eating these muffins!
Servings : 6 - 12 muffins
Prep Time : 20 minutes
Bake Time : 20 - 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups (280g) 1:1 gluten-free flour, See Recipe Notes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 1-2 lemons, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup (210g) granulated cane sugar
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (60g) vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the Lemon Syrup Glaze
1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place muffin liners in a muffin pan. This recipe yields about 12 standard muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. With your hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fully combined. Whisk in the eggs, then add in the sour cream, buttermilk, oil, butter, lemon juice, lemon extract and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the poppy seeds and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes to soften.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently fold together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter or the muffins may come out denser and not as fluffy.
Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, dividing it evenly among each cup.
Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 350°. Don’t open the oven door. Bake for 15-18 more minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
While the muffins are baking, prepare the lemon syrup glaze. Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Spoon the glaze over the tops of the muffins right when they come out of the oven.
Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
I recommend using Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flours.
