THIS MUFFIN CHANGED MY LIFE. A pretty big statement for a baked good, but true nonetheless. I would not have started this blog if it was not for these bakery style lemon poppy seed muffins. As I sit here and type these words the gravity of this truth is really starting to set in.
DISCOVERING MY BELOVED MUFFIN:
Rewind to my first semester in college 12 years ago at CSU Sacramento. As I began the venture known as ‘higher education’ I walked the paths of that campus with the weight of a lifetime of expectations on my shoulders. This was what I was “supposed” to be doing with my life now. No matter how much I tried to convince myself, I just could not shake the emptiness I felt every day that I stepped foot onto that campus.
I worked hard at fulfilling this college obligation. I aced all of my courses all the while knowing that my life’s purpose would actually be found elsewhere. Although those college days tolled an overwhelming dread on my soul, there was one serendipitous discovery that would make every day I spent on there ab-so-lute-ly worth it…
LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFIN SOLACE
The first time I tried one of the lemon poppy seed muffins at my college was at the behest of my then-boyfriend. He insisted that it was the best muffin. I had always been an almond poppy seed muffin fan, so I was reluctant to believe he could be right. So I finally took him at his word one day and bought a lemon poppy seed muffin. There was a bench nearby where I sat to eat my muffin in the glow of the early morning sun. I un-wrapped the muffin, ate the bottom first (as I always do), and then came to the top. I always save the best for last ;) Oh, what a joy to my soul it was! The brightness of the lemon contrasted with the golden crisp crust that was kissed with just a bit of glaze. This muffin had just become my solace!
From that moment forward, every day that I was on campus started with a lemon poppyseed muffin. What little money I had slowly whittled away over the course of my college attendance. As I invested it into my morning lemon poppy seed muffin ritual. CSU Sacramento and I only lasted 2 semesters, however. As I finally broke free from the expectations that would have held me back from the true purpose of my life.
BUT there was one major regret I had about leaving college; the bakery style lemon poppy seed muffins! This muffin meant so much to me, but life was calling me in a new direction. Which meant that I would have to leave my beloved muffins behind :(
LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFIN REUNION
Fast forward a year, and I had married my soul mate, who at the knowledge of my longing for one of these muffins was willing to drive all the way to that college just for a muffin reunion! That is how down my hubby was! A little quick thinking and instead we made some phone calls to find out which bakery supplied the muffins to the college. Surprisingly we found out the bakery was only about 20 minutes from our house! So we made the trip and were reunited with my beloved lemon poppy seed muffins once again!
So at this point in the story, you’re probably thinking all is good now that we found the bakery responsible for the best muffin ever and we just lived happily ever after. Well, you thought wrong…that bakery eventually ended up changing ownership and like that, my dear muffin was gone, again.
BECOMING A BLOGGER
The void was back. But in order to fill it this time, we would have to take matters into our own hands. And I was determined to create a recipe that could bring those bakery style lemon poppyseed muffins back to our life. As I searched the internet for recipes, I stumbled upon a one in that stood out from all of the rest. It was not the ingredients or even the photos that caught my attention, but it was the story behind the muffin that drew me in.
I felt like I had just met someone else that had an understanding of just how important this muffin was. The person behind this story is Joy Wilson, officially known as, Joy the Baker. Joy is the first food blogger I ‘met’, virtually of course. And it was this chance meeting that eventually led me to where I am today, typing this blog post.
All of these years later, after following lots of other bloggers, there came a day when I realized that blogging was my destiny. I felt honored to be able to create this place where I share all I have learned about life, health and, of course, food.
With all of that said, here we are. What started as a muffin that pulled me through a difficult time, brought me to this moment, writing my first blog post. And as we embark on this journey together, I hope you will join me in eating a bakery style lemon poppy seed muffin. And who knows? It just may change your life too:)
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BAKERY STYLE LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
FOR THE MUFFINS:
- 113 g (1/2 cup – 1 stick) unsalted butter, *at room temperature
- 200g g (1 cup) sugar
- zest of 2–3 lemons- about 10g or 2 tbsp
- 72 g (1/3 cup) neutral cooking oil (we use avocado oil)
- 2 large eggs- about 155 g, *at room temperature
- 2 g (1/4 tsp) fine grain salt
- 3 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 3g (1 tsp) lemon extract (or 1/2 tsp lemon oil)
- 120 g (1/2 cup) sour cream, *at room temperature (or substitute with whole fat Greek yogurt)
- 310 g (2 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
- 10 g (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 3 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
- 22 g (3 tbsp) poppy seeds
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 50 g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
- about 2 tbsp lemon juice ***see note
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar with the lemon zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Fit your mixer with the paddle attachment, add the room temperature butter & beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time. Add the next egg only after the first egg is well incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add in the oil, vanilla, lemon extract (or oil) & sour cream, allowing each ingredient to fully incorporate before adding the next.
- With the mixer still on low, add the the dry ingredients in three additions, allowing each addition to mix until just combined into the liquid, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- While the batter is resting, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (375°F if using the convect setting). Prepare two muffin tins by lining every other cavity in the muffin tin with a muffin baking liner (you will need 8 muffin liners).
- Use a 2-tablespoon scoop to fill each muffin liner with 6 tablespoons of the batter. Each muffin tin will only have 4 cavities filled.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the muffin tops are domed and golden brown. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with a few crumbs attached.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 2-3 minutes in the muffin tins and then remove them to cool down to room temperature on a wire rack. The muffins taste the best when they have completely cooled to room temperature.
- Once cool, brush tops generously with the glaze. Muffins can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to three days. Or individually wrap and freeze to be enjoyed another time :)
Notes
***you want the consistency of the glaze to be thick enough to not drip, but loose enough to be able to brush it on
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Muffin
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
I am so excited to follow your journey through this blog! Those muffins look absulutely amazing. I will let you know once I try the myself. Question: does the water in the empty muffin space what makes the muffins moist? Is that the reasoning behind it?
Thank you so much for your support Andi :)
The water in the empty spaces of the muffin tins helps create steam in the oven while they bake- which does make the muffins moist as well as helps them rise nice and high!
Let me know how they turn out for you if you ever try to bake them in your kitchen ;)
love
bella
Oh yum! The site looks beautiful! Congrats!
Hello Kendra!
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog for a visit! It was great to meet you and your husband at the instameet & I hope to spend time with you guys again in the future :)
thank you again-
bella <3
Bela: Your photos, recipes, story all so beautiful. I will be trying your recipes. Your photos show the beauty of God’s wonderful foods. Thank you.
Filakia,
Eleni
Thank you so much for your support Eleni!
We appreciate you very much <3 I hope you enjoy what you find here on the blog :)
thank you again-
bella <3
Nice to see gluten-free! Yummy Thanks
Thank you so much Jane :) I hope you enjoy them if you bake some!
take care,
<3 bella
Hi. I was just searching the web for lemon poppy seed muffins as I too discovered them in my college years and absolutely LOVED them! I was living in Rochester NY and used to get them from the Little Theater cafe and the cafe at the Museum and Science Center. I craved them they were so yummy! Eventually I moved away from Rochester and there went my lemon poppy seed muffins. Fast forward 25 years, now in quarantine mode due to the coronavirus epidemic and with time on my hands, thoughts of the poppy seed muffins have trickled in. I googled to see if these cafes still had them on their menu but no luck. Next step was to find their recipe and that is how I stumbled upon your lemon poppy seed muffin story. I feel we’re kindred muffin spirits, lol! I will attempt your recipe. Thanks for the smile and the recipe!
How crazy is that!?! Funny thing is that I am getting ready to make these muffins again this week! I am going to take new pictures and update the post because this coming Friday,May 1st is my fifth anniversary of starting my blog! SO excited you came across my recipe and story behind these muffins, it certainly sounds like we are kindred lemon poppyseed muffin enthusiasts! LOL
Ok this is so cool!!! I started my blog because of Joy too!! My very first post was her southern style strawberry coconut cake, I love her!
How crazy is that!?! What a special coincidence!
I love your remake on your favorite muffin, Bella! I’m so happy you were able to recreate a special memory for everyone to share, thanks for the amazing recipe! I will give it a try! xoxo
Awww, thank you so much Michelle! I appreciate you and all of the support you have shown me & ful-filled over the last 5 years! And I cannot wait for you to taste these muffins! They are so special <3
these were THE BEST lemon poppy seed muffins EVER!!!
oh yay! that makes me so happy!
in my home we consider ourselves lemon poppy seed muffin connoisseurs and that comes from DECADES of seeking out the best bakeries with the best lemon poppy seed muffins.
haha! Lemon poppy seed connoisseurs! Love that! So happy my recipe met your high expectations!
these are literal PERFECTION and the recipe is spot on, we made several batches so far and they all were AMAZING!!!
Thank you SO much! I am so glad!
as per usual, the Absolutely GORGEOUS photos drew us in, and then the execution of the recipe has got us hooked for good on these specific lemon poppy seed muffins version, Simply Stunning flavor profiles Bella, kudos!!
awww, thank you! That means a lot <3
So Sorry, forgot to THANK YOU for yet once again an INCREDIBLE deep dive into recipe development perfection, and for all the hard work and countless hours you spend to provide us with the best and most well developed and trusted recipes on the net, XILIA EUXARISTO Bella!!!!!!!!!!
haha! You are so welcome!
Made these wonderful muffins today and loved them!!! Thank you so much! Are you using regular size muffin tins? If I put 6 Tbsp batter in mine, they are quite full.
Oh yay! SO happy you loved them! Yes, I used regular-sized muffin tins! And yes, 6 tbsp of the batter is what is best if you want to get those lovely big bakery-style muffin tops!
I can’t wait to make these! With the weather warming up, I’m craving everything lemon! These look just perfect!
Hi Bella! I was just perusing your beautiful blog and found this article and recipe. So wonderful to learn more about you. I too am grateful for those muffins! And that they led you to this beautiful purpose. We are all so lucky to be able to enjoy your words, posts, recipes, and of course your incredible photos. much love – Anita
You are the sweetest! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment Anita! I appreciate you <3
Hi, I was just about to try these and when reading through the recipe and reviews, you and another reviewer mentioned water in the unfilled muffin spaces but I didn’t see any instruction for this in the recipe? I was just a little confused, do we add water into to unfilled spaces as the muffins are baking?
Hi Sam! I recently updated the recipe and must have forgotten to add that line back in! To answer your question, yes, you only want to fill every other muffin cavity with batter to allow the tops to rise to their full potential without baking into each other. I bake these muffins in two batches. Since this recipe yields 8 muffins, each muffin tin will only have four cavities filled, so you’ll need to pour water into two of the empty cavities to mimic the placement of muffin batter. Doing this will ensure that all of the muffins cook evenly in the muffin tin! Thank you for letting me know this instruction was missing! Happy baking :)
These look so yummy! I have some leftover buttermilk from another recipe. Do you think I could use that instead of sour cream?
Hello Erin! If the buttermilk is super thick then I would say yes, if it is on the looser side you may need to add a bit of flour so that the consistency of the batter does not become too loose!
Thank you for the recipe which for the first time in my years of baking got me that elusive domed muffin top. Not sure why but my muffins turned out a little bit greasy. I wonder whether with this amount of butter in the recipe, the oil could have been omitted ? Love your story!
Interesting, I have never gotten greasy muffins when making this recipe. It probably means that your butter was too soft, or you over-mixed the batter. Either way, I am SO happy that you finally achieved the elusive domed muffin top! And thank you so much for taking the time to comment, it means the world :)
Hi! I love the way these muffins look, and can’t wait to bake them up! Quick question though, I only have a muffin tin for 12 muffins (instead of six) is it okay to use that instead? and would that mean I’d be able to bake up all 8 muffins in one pan? Leaving 4 holes in the middle row empty with water in them of course.
That should work perfectly! As long as the wells are standard muffin size.
Here I am….. Over’ Here. The idea of reading this blog post to perhaps gain even more insight into your muffin’s point of view wouldn’t leave me. The lemony twist to the discovery that your beloved muffin was closer than you thought… leading to a friendship with “Joy.” No pun intended. Well, I’ll be stirring up this muffin for sure in the very near future . Thank you for bringing your blog post to reels. It was delightful to meet you .
Oh my goodness Amy…I am so grateful that you took the time to read the blog post. It is probably one of the most important blog posts I’ve ever written for sure. So nice to meet you too :)
made these before and i LOVED them,, could i add raspberries straight to this recepie or would i have to adjust anything ? xxxxxxx
Hi Alex! You can totally add raspberries, you may just need to adjust the baking time a smidge, since the raspberries will add moisture. Let me know how it goes if you try :)
Mine were pretty nice the afternoon I baked them but were dry as a bone by next day. I weighed my ingredients and I didn’t overbaked them, yet they were dry.
Ugh, so sorry that the muffins were super dry for you the next day. Perhaps you needed to bake them a bit less then my recipe called for, as ovens can vary in temperature, heat evenness, etc. I have made this recipe many times, and haven’t experienced them being so dry the next day. I also store them in a sealed container to help retain moisture. Sorry again that you were disappointed.