Why are lemon poppy seed muffins a thing? I mean honestly, what do poppy seeds actually add to anything? Have you ever taken a teaspoon or so of poppy seeds and tasted them just to test the flavor? It isn’t really a pleasant experience.
Aside from just being a mouthful of unpleasantly-textured desiccated seeds, they lack a distinct flavor. The bottle they come in classifies them as nutty, which makes sense as most nuts and seeds have an earthy flavor, but I can confidently say I have no interest in reaching for poppy seeds as a pumpkin seed alternative to snack on.
That all being said, if you take the poppy seeds out of lemon poppy seed muffins, you just have lemon muffins… and that just sounds like blasphemy to me (note to self: try new lemon muffin recipe soon!). These flecked golden muffin tops are, bar-none, my favorite product that is baked in some form of cake tin. Chocolate cake, blueberry muffins, salted caramel cupcakes – get in line – these lemon poppy seed muffins are all I need on my desert (or maybe it should be dessert?) island.
Lemon poppy seed muffins do require a couple of atypical ingredients and techniques, but that really should scare you off, because both the ingredients and techniques are AMAZING to put right to use in other places around the stove.
Learning to properly whip egg whites into peaks can allow you to make meringues or the fluffiest pancakes you’ve ever eaten. Having buttermilk on hand means you can make anything from fried chicken to buttermilk pancakes (I think I may be in the mood for some pancakes to compliment my muffins).
So, in short, don’t be intimidated by the extra steps and ingredients – they will all be put to good use and are well worth the time and monetary investment (which, by the way, is about 10 minutes and $3, respectively)!
Okay, now prepare yourself for the mystically delicious nature of the lemon poppy seed muffin, because they will be fresh out of your oven in less than an hour!
NOTE ON THE BAKING METHOD BELOW: I know, I know, 425 seems insane for muffins and baked goods, but trust us! This will help them rise better in the oven due to the extra-hot air pockets that will form inside the muffin while baking – giving you a nice round top instead of a flat sad muffin.