Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

These muffins are definitely “bakery style” – bold, beautiful, moist, and delicious! They combine the flavors of both lemon and almond, plus the crunch of poppy seeds – into one amazing muffin.

Recipe for LEMON ALMOND POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. I like the bakery-style paper liners above, as they help form and contain the top of the muffin – but regular paper liners will work as well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

3 c all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 c Lemon Yogurt – I love NOOSA brand. This provides additional lemon flavor to the muffin, as well as moisture. You can use low-fat Greek Yogurt if you prefer. If you can’t find LEMON yogurt, you can add 2 tsp lemon extract to the recipe to amp up the lemon flavor.
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 c sliced almonds for garnish
Coarse sugar for garnish

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together, and set aside.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together sugar and melted butter til light and fluffy, about 2 min. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition. Add almond extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Combine. Alternate adding the dry ingredients, and the yogurt, blending between each addition. Add the poppy seeds, and blend just til combined.

Fill each muffin cup with 2 lg ice cream scoops of batter. The dough is stiff, so it will mound nicely. Sprinkle each with sliced almonds, and coarse sugar.