Almond Poppy Seed Muffins ~ this is the classic almond poppy seed muffin recipe that gets everybody out of bed in the morning!
The other day I woke up hungry and came down to an empty kitchen. I hate when that happens. I can usually crank along for a while on a few cups of coffee, but eventually the gig is up and I need breakfast. I haven’t made muffins in ages, which is surprising since I love them so much. I guess I got distracted by this and this and these. But I can always be tempted by a classic like Almond Poppy Seed. Almond is such a pleasurable intense aroma… I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s ‘huffed’Â a bottle of almond extract now and again. It’s one of those flavors that is as much about the scent as it is about taste. And I don’t know who first put almonds and poppy seeds together, but it was pure genius.
The almond glaze adds an extra bit of sweetness to the muffins, and doubles down the almond flavor. There is also a full 1/4 cup of poppy seeds in the batter so you definitely won’t miss their crunch.
Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- heaping 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt or sour cream, I used full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
for the gaze
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- milk to thin
Instructions
- Set the oven to 375F
- Whisk the dry ingredients, including poppy seeds, together thoroughly, you don't want lumps of baking soda in your muffins.
- Whisk the eggs and yogurt together and blend well. Stir in the melted butter and the almond extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Don't over mix or your muffins may be tough.
- Fill muffin cups with batter. This makes 12 large muffins, so high sided muffin liners, will help contain the batter. If you use regular muffin liners this recipe will make a few more muffins.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are just starting to get a little golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Cool slightly on a rack before glazing.
- To make the glaze, mix the sugar, almond extract, and milk until you get a smooth, glossy glaze.
Have a great weekend!
I was very excited to find this recipe. I love Almond Poppy seed muffins, yogurt, and just wow, this had everything, or so I thought. I baked mine 18 minutes. The toothpick came out clean. The muffins were too light for me, not dry, just not heavy as I remember muffins I used to bake. They didn’t crown, possibly due to the lower temperature (375° Instead of 400 or 425), and tasted salty. I confess I did not add the topping. Like others, I was amazed by how tight the batter was. I expect a little flow in the batter, even if only stirred 12 – 18 times. This was very dry, more like dough than batter. IF I try this recipe again, it will need some major adjustments. End result, muffins just ok, too salty and without that muffin mouth feel.
Have you ever tried this with almond flour instead of the wheat flour?
No, but I don’t think it would work with just almond flour, there wouldn’t be enough structure, you might try substituting for some of the wheat flour, or go with an almond flour/gluten free baking blend mix.
My batter was extremely dry also. I added a cup of milk. Also, I baked at 375 for about 15-18min and they were completely done. If I would have baked 25+ they would have burned!
Hi.. thank you for the amazing recipe. I dislike muffins and cupcakes but having come across your recipe decided to give it a shot. It turned out amazingly moist and incredibly flavorful inspite of the subtle taste. It def goes for keeps, this recipe.
I just have amazingly small prob with the Baking powder and Baking soda. I felt it was way too overpowering with each bite I took. Is the quantity of 1 tablespoon of Baking powder and 1 tsp of Baking soda too much or could it be because my baking powder is a bit old?
Thanks for your time.
You can definitely try reducing the amount a bit for both the soda and powder if you’re sensitive to the flavor. Sometimes that can happen when the powers don’t get thoroughly mixed into the batter, too.
Thanks so much for your quick response. Really appreciate it.
Another query please.. would butter milk as a substitution work ? Or would it make a lot of difference ?
Thank you
Not sure about full on buttermilk, but you might try using part buttermilk and part yogurt or sour cream?