Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

in Breakfast, Freezer Friendly, Lemon, Muffins and Scones

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

My number 10 scoop is the second-most used gadget in my kitchen, behind my bench scraper. It’s my go to scoop, yielding cookies with a diameter of 6 inches and perfectly uniform muffins. (For cupcakes, I stick to the Number 12 scoop.)

My infatuation for this scoop comes not from gotta-have-that-gadget consumerism but a desire for culinary perfection… and a strong dislike of getting my hands dirty. Every cookie is the same size, every cupcake contains the same amount of batter, and every muffin rises uniformly over the top of the muffin liner. Aesthetics aren’t the only benefit of using a scoop – have you ever made a cupcake cake? Level cupcakes are almost essential for a nice, level palette to decorate.

Lemon-Almond Poppyseed Muffins

So, what’s all this “number 10” and “number 12” business about? Scoops are numbered according to how many level scoopfuls it takes to make 1 quart. It would take ten number 10 scoopfuls of any substance to yield 1 quart. 1 quart of Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter Cookie dough = 10 cookies. My poor waist 🙂

Lemon-Almond Poppyseed MuffinsLemon-Almond Poppyseed MuffinsLemon-Almond Poppyseed MuffinsLemon-Almond Poppyseed Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Make breakfast special with these moist, lemony muffins studded with poppy seeds.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup almonds, chopped
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
  • 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on baking sheet and toast for about 7 minutes, until browning and fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds in medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest and almond extract, mixing until just incorporated. Beat in one-half of dry ingredients. Beat in one-third of sour cream. Beat in remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with sour cream, until incorporated. Fold in almonds.
  4. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners. Use a scoop to divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Notes

Yields: 12 muffins

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Estimated time: 50 minutes

13 comments… add one
  • Well, you learn something new every day. I had no idea scoops had numbers associated with them!

    We’re always looking for good muffin recipes, and I completely trust CI (and you) so these look great!

  • I just bought 2 new scoops just for the purpose of making perfectly sized cookies and adding the right amount of batter to the muffin cups! You put my need for them into words in this post! I didn’t know they were numbered, so I learned something new!

    This recipe sounds like something we would enjoy.

  • I need scoops so I have perfect cupcakes too!

  • Erica

    I’m making a cupcake cake RIGHT now =) However I have NO idea where my crazy scoops went =( Can I come over and borrow some?!? Ha! Those muffins look delicious BTW! So yummy!!

    PS I am “attempting” to use an ice cream scoop …. since I’m too lazy to go to the store. I’ll let you know how my “experiment” goes

  • Amanda

    I’m definitely going to save this recipe and give it a try….and buy myself a number 10 scoop. 🙂

  • Deborah

    I need some of those scoops!

  • It’s nice to know that I am not the only one who is obsessed with scoops. Beautiful perfectly scooped muffins! 🙂

  • I LOVE your beautiful blog and amazing photos!

  • How can you tell what size scoop you have? I use a scoop to make all of my cookies, and its huge, but every time I go to the store to buy a new one I can’t quite remember how big/little it is. Are they all marked somewhere? Am I just missing something? Last night I made cookies, recipe said yield 5 dozen, I made 32. Oh well. I like my cookies big anyway.

  • It’s a shame we can’t find different sized scoops around here. I have a large one and love it!
    These cupcakes are fabulous and your photos are beautiful!

  • Thanks, guys!

    Hallie – My scoops have a number imprinted on the bottom of the handle. If you don’t have a number printed, try this: Fill your scoop with water and then dump it into a 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) or 1/4 cup measuring cup. You should be able to fine-tune the volume of your scoop and get it down exactly to how many tsp, Tbsp, or fraction of a cup yours holds. There also might be some way of measuring the diameter of the scoop and figuring out the volume, but I’m of no help in that dept 🙂

  • You have a fancy scoop:) I use ice cream scoops all the time, but I guess it’s time to upgrade:) Great muffin recipe! Nice pics, too!

  • I love my scoops too though I have no idea what numbers they are! I need to get some more.

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