Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable)

Moist muffins with poppy seeds and tangy glaze.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tbsp poppy seeds
04 - 2 tsp baking powder
05 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
06 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 3/4 cup whole milk
09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
11 - 2 tbsp lemon zest
12 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

→ Lemon Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - Whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
03 - Whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until fully combined.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just moistened; do not overmix.
05 - Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
06 - Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
07 - Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional juice if needed.
09 - Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The poppy seeds give you these tiny pockets of texture that keep surprising you with each bite.
  • Fresh lemon juice and zest make them taste like morning itself, without any artificial tartness.
  • The glaze is what tips them from good to memorable—tangy, sweet, and impossible not to lick off your fingers.
  • They come together in under an hour, which means you can have homemade muffins before anyone else is even awake.
02 -
  • Do not overmix once you combine wet and dry ingredients; overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough and dense instead of tender.
  • Room temperature eggs and cooled (not hot) melted butter are the difference between a smooth batter and one that looks curdled and broken.
  • Using real fresh lemon juice instead of bottled is what separates these from tasting like a box mix—this one ingredient transforms the whole thing.
03 -
  • If you want even more lemon punch, add a few drops of pure lemon extract to the batter—it intensifies the flavor without thinning the mixture.
  • Substituting half the whole milk with sour cream or Greek yogurt creates a richer, more tender crumb that stays moist longer than you'd expect.

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