Amidst all the craziness that comes along with the end of the school year and extracurricular activities (dance recitals, final t-ball games, saying goodbye to teachers you’ve come to love), I’m trying to find the joy. And as it turns out, lemon poppyseed muffins bring me a great deal of joy.

I don’t know why, but I tend to shy away from desserts with poppyseed. It is first and foremost part of a very important lineup of bagel toppings. I associate it with a schmear of scallion cream cheese and a healthy portion of nova. Crossing over into dessert (or in this case breakfast) has felt like a betrayal of my people. But when something works, it just works.

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Therefore, lemon and poppyseed let me be the first to offer my sincerest apologies. Sometimes haters gonna hate, but today — for you — I’ll fall on my sword.

I was wrong. These are heavenly, and I want them in my life on the daily.

Lemon icing *optional.

(*Not optional)

Things are about to get all kinds of crazy here in the Well Seasoned household. The kids only have 3 days left of school, I’ve never been busier with work, and camp doesn’t begin until after the 4th of July. Send help.

Actually, no, send muffins. ‘Cause I’m going to need a whole lot of joy to help me survive the next few weeks.

Lemon poppyseed muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For the muffins

1 cup cake flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
⅔ cup sugar
zest and juice from 1 lemon
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, (melted and cooled)
¾ cup whole milk or 2% greek yogurt
2 large eggs, (room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

For the lemon icing

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, (sifted)
2–3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk, (as needed)

Instructions

For the muffins

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 F. Spray a regular size muffin tray with nonstick baking spray or line each with a muffin liner.
In a large bowl whisk together cake flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together cooled butter, greek yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until just barely combined. Add in poppyseed and give one final mix. Use a large cookie scoop or a ¼ measuring cup to evenly divide batter into muffin liners, filling almost completely to the top.
Bake 16-18 minutes, or until a cake tester or knife inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with lemon icing.

For the lemon icing

Place confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl and add 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice and the vanilla extract, then whisk. If icing is too thick to pour, add the last Tbsp of lemon juice and up to 1 Tbsp of milk, as needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over slightly cooled muffins, then enjoy immediately.

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