Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Bakery Style)

Lemon poppy seed muffins with lemon icing on a cooling rack.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Bakery Style)

Bright, zesty, tender, and finished with a tangy lemon glaze, these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins just hit the spot. I love a big muffin top, and this recipe gives you just that! Perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack or even a light dessert.

Prep Time20

Cook Time23

Chilling Time30

Total Time1 13

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Seasonal

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Muffins

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $15

Equipment

Muffin tin - Affiliate link

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar - 200 grams
4 tbsp Lemon zest - 17 grams (from about 3 lemons)
2¾ cups All purpose flour - 343 grams
2½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp Poppy seeds
2 Large eggs - 100 grams
½ cup Unsalted melted butter - 113 grams
½ cup Sour cream - 120 grams
¾ cup Milk - 170 grams
1 tbsp Lemon juice - 15 grams
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Almond extract

Lemon Glaze

1 cup Powdered sugar, sifted - 120 grams
2 tbsp Lemon juice - 30 grams

Instructions

Make the Scented Sugar. Combine the sugar and fresh lemon zest in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk well to combine.
Beat the Eggs. In a second bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy and bubbly.
Mix the Wet Ingredients. Add the melted butter, sour cream, milk, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the eggs. Whisk until smooth.
Make Batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold gently until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
Rest and Preheat Oven. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the muffin batter for 15-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C.
Scoop. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin liners or muffin cups. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner to the top. Try not to stir or deflate the batter too much.
Bake. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F / 205C, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F / 175C and bake for another 13 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed.
Cool. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
Glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a quick lemon glaze. Spoon over the cooled muffins. Let the glaze set before storing.

Notes

Refer to the post above if you need step by step recipe photos.

Key Ingredient Notes:

Lemons: You will need whole lemons for this recipe, as you will be using the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Leaveners: This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda.
Poppy Seeds: Wouldn’t be a lemon poppy seed recipe without poppy seeds. They can be a bit challenging to find depending on where you live, but you should be able to find them in your local grocery store's baking aisle or online.
Unsalted butter: I’m using melted unsalted butter here. If you only have access to salted butter, that’s fine, just leave out the salt in the dry ingredients.
Sour Cream: The sour cream adds richness and it will also react with the baking soda to give the muffins a nice lift and fluffy texture. You could easily swap it out for Greek yogurt. This helps keep the muffins moist.

Tips for success:

Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. This simple step releases the lemon oils and gives the muffins a stronger citrus flavor.
Don’t overmix the batter. Fold just until the flour disappears. Overmixing can make muffins dense or tough.
Chill the batter. That short rest helps hydrate the flour and gives the muffins a better rise.
Start with a higher temperature, then reduce the heat. A hotter initial bake helps encourage tall muffin tops.
Fill the liners to the top. This gives you those generous bakery-style domes. Who doesn’t love a muffin top?

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