Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I find muffins to be the best thing for lunches.... They are easy to pack, the kids love them, and since I can only make 12 at a time I can't be snack happy eating them all, or I end up having to make another batch before the week is through, Kinda like I did with the Orange Cranberry Loaf I made earlier this week (it's my favorite! Don't judge me if I ate 1/2 the loaf throughout the day!!!)  That recipe will come next week  :)

I didn't have a good lemon muffin recipe, so off to Google I went and found a delightful recipe on a blog I really enjoy, www.twopeasandtheirpod.com.  I changed it up a little and was really pleased with the results.  I used half whole wheat flour (I really wanted light and airy and didn't want to chance them being too dense, but the next time I make them I will definitely use whole wheat!)  I also cut the butter down by half.  The original recipe called for greek yogurt, but since I was out I just used plain yogurt, These were so easy to make I can't believe I procrastinated so long in making them!!!  

The best tip for these is to blend your lemon zest and sugar really well.  It allows the sugar to absorb all the flavor from the zest and the results are a little heavenly.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!!!

So good with a cup of coffee in the morning!  This is my favorite mug, it's about 23 years old!

To Make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins you will need:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup yogurt (greek or plain) sour cream can also be used
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 Tbsp poppyseeds

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  Grease 12 cups in a regular size muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong (I "smushed" them together with a silicone spoon, but you can also just rub them together with your fingers).

Whisk in the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  set aside.

In another bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients together until well blended.

 Pour the wet mixture over the dry, add the poppyseeds and gently stir to blend.  Do not overmix!

The batter almost has a mousse like consistency.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 5 minutes and then turn oven down to 375 degrees F for another 13 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then carefully remove them from the pan and allow them to fully cool on a wire rack.

I didn't frost mine, but if you would like to put these over the top, combine 1 cup of icing sugar with 2 or 3 Tbsp of lemon juice and drizzle over cooled muffins.  YUM!!!

Enjoy!!!