Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Vegan)

I love muffin tops.

Big, fat, fluffy and, at times, juicy muffin tops.

Not the kind that hang out from the sides of your jeans…but the kind that you peel off the top of a big, fluffy and delicious muffin.

I tend to only eat the top off of my muffins and then either send the bottom half Mikey’s way, or toss it (don’t get me wrong, though, if it’s a really good muffin I’ll eat the bottom in about one giant bite).

The tops of these muffins are only a teeny bit better than the bottoms…so you can eat in all in just a few big chomps.

These muffins are technically vegan, but I didn’t have anything but cow’s milk on hand so they are not. But it’s super easy to make them vegan by using soy milk/whatever milk you have on hand.

The sweet glaze and the light hint of lemon is so light and refreshing. And I always love the little crunch that comes from the addition of a poppy seed.

I remember as a kid my best friend used to always choke on her food when she ate at out house because my Dad would always tell funny/weird stories during meal time. One particular memory that sticks out is the time that my Dad told her that her bread had “puppy seeds” in it. He started going into this long, detailed story about how puppy seeds grew inside flowers, and they were filled with tiny little puppy faces that would bark at you. He told us that you could pick the flower, bring it home and then the seeds would grow into full dogs. He tried to make us feel guilty for eating the poor, cute little puppies and my friend, Sean, just couldn’t take it. She started laughing and choking and I’m pretty sure she had to run and spit out her “puppy seed” bread so she didn’t choke to death.

It was always (and still is) an adventure during meal time at the Russell household.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Time: prep time 20 minutes bake time 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour

2 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds

1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil

1 Lemon, Zest and Juice

1 Cup Soy Milk (or regular milk/milk of choice. I used cow’s milk, turned out great)

1 Teaspoon Vinegar

For the Glaze:

3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Extract (optional)

Water if needed for texture (add 1/4 teaspoon at a time)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set up muffin cups on baking sheet or line muffin tin with liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Let sit for about 10 minutes so it can curdle (this is how you make buttermilk)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, lemon zest and juice. Whisk together and slowly add milk/vinegar mixture, whisking well.

Fold in the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared baking cups, filling about 3/4 full, and place into the oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the muffins bake you can prepare the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, extract and water until you find a desired consistency. I added extra extract to taste and about a tablespoon of water until I liked the texture of my glaze.

Once muffins are COMPLETELY cool, you can pour the glaze over the top and let it harden.