Easy One Bowl Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

My easy one bowl Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are a classic breakfast treat with fresh lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds. The batter can also be rested overnight for the freshest muffins in the morning.

Let me say right up front that these lemon poppy seed muffins are the old fashioned kind

They don’t pretend to be bakery style or (gasp) grocery store type muffins.  Somewhere along the line perfectly good muffins mutated into bloated big-as-your-head monstrosities, full of weirdly artificial flavors (have you had a ‘banana’ muffin lately?) I’ve sworn off them, but I’m so weak willed that I can’t seem to board an airplane without one stuffed into my carry on. I live to regret it before we ever reach 10,000 feet.

When I’m not traveling I get my muffin fix this way, and luckily these classic muffins are easy to throw together, all you need is a mixing bowl and a whisk. They’re a great recipe to have on hand when you want to get a retro, homey vibe going in your kitchen.  And while blueberry is probably the most popular muffin flavor in the US, lemon poppy seed is always in the top 10, so you know they’ll get lots of love.

The secret to lemony muffins

One potential problem with lemon poppy seed muffins is that they can lack that lemony punch that we all want and deserve when we bite into something that claims to be ‘lemon’ flavored.

I solve the problem in 4 ways…I add lemon juice and zest to the batter, but then I add a dose of lemon flavoring as well.  I use a good quality lemon extract (nothing fake) or, one of my new favorite products, lemon paste, to the muffins to really enhance the flavor. 

Finally, the glaze, which is simply lemon juice mixed with confectioner’s sugar, which gives the muffins their final punch of lemon.

A tip to get muffins to dome

Muffins can be so frustrating ~ sometimes they bake up with nice round domes, and other times they come out flat.  There are a lot of variables, including making sure your baking powder is fresh, but here’s a great tip…

• Let your batter rest for at least an hour, right on the counter, after mixing.  
• Don’t stir the batter again after the rest, just scoop the batter into your muffin tin and bake.  
• I find this results in great ‘dome-age’.

Muffin mania ~

• Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins
• Pear Muffins with Hazelnut Streusel
• Orange and Cardamom Muffins
• 7 Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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4.34 from 3 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Old Fashioned Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are a classic breakfast treat with fresh lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds.  It's an easy one bowl recipe that can also be rested overnight for the freshest muffins in the morning.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Yield 10 muffins

Ingredients

wet ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or buttermilk
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp lemon paste
• 2 Tbsp poppy seeds

dry ingredients

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all purpose flour

glaze

• 1 heaping cup confectioner's sugar
• lemon juice to thin

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F and butter a muffin tin, or line with muffin liners.
• Whisk together all the wet ingredients well.
• Whisk in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda, then add the flour and fold in until no dry steaks remain. Small lumps are fine. Set the batter aside on the counter for 1 hour.
• Without any further mixing, spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling almost full. Bake for 20-22 minutes until risen and starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
• Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove to cool completely on a rack before glazing.
• Whisk the confectioner's sugar with just enough lemon juice to make a glaze. Start with a tablespoon and keep adding slowly. You can spread the glaze on the muffins, or dunk them in headfirst.

Notes

Muffins are small and easily over baked, so check them on the early side.

I like to eat muffins the same day, especially when glazed, but if you must keep them, cover them with foil or plastic at room temperature.  Revive next day muffins with a quick zap in the microwave.