Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Is there anything better than a freshly baked lemon poppyseed muffin first thing in the morning? These Lemon Poppyseed Muffins live up to the hype with their tender crumb, zesty lemon flavor, and beautiful domed tops. Each bite is packed with flavor and has you wanting another.

These Lemon Poppyseed Muffins get their beautiful domed tops from letting the batter rest in the fridge overnight. This means that these muffins are best when the batter is made the night before, covered in plastic wrap, and placed in the fridge to chill. That way all you have to do in the morning is preheat your oven, scoop the batter into the muffin pan, and bake them!. If you can't stand the thought of waiting or don't have the time, you can still let the batter chill for a few hours, but they won't be as domed.

The other baking technique that helps get those beautiful domed tops is starting off with a higher oven temperature of 425º F and letting the muffins bake for 5 minutes before lowering the temperature to 350º F, without opening it, for the remaining 12-13 minutes.

Now let's talk lemons. You'll need about 3-4 lemons total to have enough lemon zest and lemon juice. You'll want to zest all of your lemons first to make sure you have 2 tablespoon worth and then juice them so that you have 2 tablespoon of juice too. The zest will be blended into the butter and sugar to bring out its flavor and the juice will be added to the batter alongside the sour cream for even more lemony goodness.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.

• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.

• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

• Check out My Favorite Baking Tools to see what I use when I bake.

Now let's bake! In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, and lemon zest for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with your spatula as needed. Add in the lemon juice and sour cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. This allows the batter to rest and gives the muffins their beautiful domed tops.

Preheat oven to 425º F. Prep a muffin pan with 10 muffin liners and divide the batter evenly, doing your best to keep it as close to the middle of each liner as possible.

Bake the muffins for 5 minutes and then lower the oven to 350º F, without opening it, and bake for another 12-13 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a cooling rack. Enjoy!