Classic, delicious lemon poppy seed muffins, with a tender lemon-scented poppy seed muffin topped with a tangy lemon glaze. Sour cream in the batter makes them moist and rich.
I never get tired of lemon poppy seed muffins and this is my favourite recipe! These are classic, with just the right amount of lemon and a tangy lemon glaze too.
What you’ll need
Lemon – You’ll need two fresh lemons. One to get the lemon zest and juice for the muffins and another lemon for the juice for the glaze.
Poppy seeds – Make sure your poppy seeds are fresh. They can go rancid if they’ve been sitting around and introduce an unpleasant flavour to the muffins.
Sour Cream – Full-fat sour cream is highly recommended. Its higher fat content does wonderful things for muffins. Full-fat Greek yogurt would be a decent substitute, though it is considerably lower in fat, so it will come with a compromise in moistness and richness to the finished muffins.
Butter and Oil – I love to use half butter and half oil, for a best-of-both-worlds outcome. You get the flavour bonus from butter and the light and tender crumb and extended shelf-life of oil. That said, you can use all butter or all oil if you prefer.
How to make lemon poppy seed muffins
- Start by adding the lemon zest to the sugar in a bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips to extend the lemon flavour into the sugar.
- In the same bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Set aside.
- In another bowl whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and poppy seeds.
- Make sure the melted butter has cooled (if it’s too hot, it may cook the egg in the batter). Whisk it into the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until the flour is incorporated and no more. A few lumps are fine and are preferred to over-mixing the batter.
- Spoon or scoop the batter into paper-lined muffin tins. You’ll get 9 large or 12 small muffins. Bake and enjoy!
Recipe tips!
- Be careful reducing the sugar. Sugar in baked goods is about more than sweetening. It contributes to the moistness, colour and shelf-life as well.
- The most important part of making these muffins happens at the end of making the batter when the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients. You want to be sure to stir them together quickly and only enough to incorporate the flour. And no more. A few lumps are just fine.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
These muffins will keep well stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for about 3 days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Ingredients
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 Tbsp zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- Juice of 1 lemon, about 3 Tbsp
- 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, or similar neutral-tasting oil
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
Glaze
- 1 cup icing/confectioners’ sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (regular setting/not convection/fan-assisted) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners (greasing is also an option if paper liners are unavailable).
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. In a large bowl. Using your fingertips rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moistened from the zest. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, poppy seeds and oil together until well blended. Add the melted butter, ensuring that it has cooled so it doesn't cook the egg in the batter. Whisk in the butter.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and using a spoon or spatula stir together just until the flour is no longer visible. A few lumps are fine and would be preferable to over-mixing the batter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to sit in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing them.
- To make the icing: Put the icing/confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 T of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a bit at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. You can then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins or coat the tops entirely.
Notes
Adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I recently made your lemon poppy seed muffins. Your recipe was easy to follow and the muffins are delicious!
Thank you
Thanks so much, Karen! So glad you enjoyed them :)