Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

My friend Helen gave me a book titled Homemade Muffins by Carol Tennant a few years ago. I've flipped through it a few times but never got around to making the recipes. I thought I'd try the recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. I used the sweeter meyer lemons because I had those on hand, but you can use regular lemons or even oranges.

Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 12

Muffins:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp poppy seed
zest and juice of 2 meyer lemons
1 tsp lemon extract

Lemon Syrup:
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
zest and juice of 1 lemon

In a bowl, mix lemon juice, egg, milk, butter, lemon extract, and lemon peel. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined, being careful to not over-mix. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan, about 3/4 full. Bake in a 400 degrees preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The muffins should be golden and risen. In the meantime, mix the confectioner's sugar with the lemon juice and zest until well blended. Spoon over hot muffins and let cool in the pan.

I actually made these without the lemon extract and found that the muffins weren't lemon-y enough. I figured the addition of the extract would help with that. The soaking syrup on top was a nice touch, though it's very important to soak the muffins when they're right out of the oven. I found it helpful to remove the muffins from the pan and dip the entire top into the syrup.



I had these the next day with a bit of vanilla yogurt and blueberries. Just split the muffin into top and bottom and heat in the microwave. Spoon on some yogurt, add in a few blueberries, and top with the muffin top. Yum.