Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Sunday started out okay, despite the return of gloomy, cold weather. It deteriorated fast. By 10:30 am, everyone (including me) had been sent to their rooms to regroup. Kitty immediately fell asleep, Boo found consolation in Angry Birds, and I pulled the covers over my head. J suggested a cheerful brunch to start the day over, so I headed over to two of my favorite food blogs and we decided on Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Annie's Eats and a German Pancake from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Both recipes were perfect, and the day brightened from there.

I adjusted the muffin recipe a bit to incorporate a bit more fresh lemon juice. The muffins were moist and had a bright flavor that I loved. Boo loved them too. She was left alone with the leftover muffins right before bed and eight mini muffins mysteriously disappeared....

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 TB poppy seeds
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
8 TB unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1-2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt

For the glaze:
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 TB fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low speed, mix in half the dry ingredients, then the yogurt, then the remainder of the dry ingredients, beating each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter into muffin liners.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes for mini muffins, 16-18 minutes for regular muffins. Test muffins with a toothpick, let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze:
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over each muffin while they are still warm. I did mini muffins and had more than enough glaze...they each got a generous glazing.