I got hooked on Starbucks' lemon poppy seed loaf after my workouts, which unfortunately completely defeated the purpose of the exercise. And so began my hunt for a slightly healthier lemon poppy seed creation, which ended with this recipe. To revert to a less healthy but equally delicious version, add some cream cheese to the glaze and ice the cooled muffins.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
-
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
-
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
-
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
-
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
-
1/4 cup (60 mL) poppy seeds
-
3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened
-
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
-
2 eggs
-
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
-
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
-
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup/125 mL juice)
-
Juice of 1 lemon
-
1/3 cup (75 mL) icing sugar
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in poppy seeds.
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until pale yellow, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
In a measuring cup, mix buttermilk, yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Add half the dry mixture to the batter, then half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, stirring until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/3-cup (75 mL) measure, fill muffin cups three-quarters full.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes.
To make the glaze, drizzle lemon juice into icing sugar until mixture is runny. Using a skewer, poke a few holes in the top of each warm muffin and pour glaze over.
