Thursday, November 5, 2009

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Another notch in the search for the perfect lemon poppy seed muffins.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
via Recipezaar

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 c sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/3 c flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 T poppy seeds
  • 2 lemons worth of lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat just until smooth.
  4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended.
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Comments & Modifications:
  • For muffins, these really were a lot of work. Not only did I have to get out the electric mixer, but I had to dirty three bowls, for the wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and egg whites. I'm more of a "stir gently" kind of muffin maker.
  • In addition to the lemon zest and juice, I added about half a teaspoon of lemon extract. They could have used more.

Verdict: With the help of the lemon extract, these muffins were tangy and a bit lemony, but still not as lemony as I would like. The texture was dense but tender, and they were kind of flat on top. Dan liked them well enough. Maybe I'll try them again sometime with more lemon extract.

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