These subtly sweet, lemony muffins are delicious. The poppyseeds add a nice texture to the muffin and the lemon zest adds a brightness, without being tart. Lemon reminds me of warmer weather, so these are a great addition to our morning, especially with snow in May.

Tips:

• Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into the muffin liners to ensure all your muffins will cook the same.

• Want to make them sweeter? Make a glaze with confectioners sugar and little milk or lemon juice.

• Store the leftover muffins in an airtight container for a few days. They will freeze nicely since there isn’t icing or a topping on them.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Recipe originally from Food Network

Makes 12

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

Zest of one lemon

2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins, if desired

2 large eggs, at room temperature

4 teaspoons poppy seeds

1/2 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-cup muffin tin with butter and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. 

2. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the poppy seeds. 

3. Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Take care not to overmix the batter.

4. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.