I like to pretend I am better at baking than I really am. Specifically in the cake department, for some reason white cakes I seem to be incapable of making, I even made white cupcakes fall and that takes a very special talent. I am however, reasonable at making muffins. (Except of course when I go a little crazy, I have been known to over-blueberry my muffins resulting in a soggy, but very darn fruity, pile of muffiny ooze).Muffin making skills are important. Nothing says love like a morning full of freshly baked muffins and tea. And poppy seed muffins particularly fun, they have dots! It is very exciting business. I always happen to have on hand a can of poppy seed cake filling from the store, I have never actually used it as cake filling but I do use it in muffins and cakes. I suppose I could just buy actual poppy seeds, but that would be way too easy.
These muffins are reasonably healthy, reasonably because they are made with fat-free yogurt which I think makes for a better (moister) muffin texture and cake-y crumb. Plus, they taste great, and make your house smell like the home of the domestic goddess (or god) that you are.
Poppy Seed Muffins
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients, all but the sugar; salt baking powder & flour into a bowl. I sift 3 times, but I am a little over the top. Next, in a different bowl, mix the sugar together with the eggs, until well blended, about a good minute of mixing, no slacking off. Then add in the yogurt, poppy seeds and vanilla followed by the melted butter, finally I add the zest. Using a microplaner is fantastic but a zester or grater will also do. Worst comes to worst you could even use a knife and practice your tiny chopping skills. Add the flour and stir with a spatula in just a few strokes, you want it lumpy but mixed. If your dough is too stiff (it should be about the consistency of pancake batter) add a little splash of milk, 3 tablespoons ought to do you. If you over mix you will have hard muffins. Use the rest of the melted butter to grease your muffin tin, I use a little pastry brush but you could pour it in and use a paper towel too if you were desperate.
I find the best way for getting muffin batter into a muffin tin is to use two large spoons, one to spoon and the other to scape off that spoon into the tin- this will help you from getting mix all over the sides and burning on and being a pain for washing up later. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. If you are feeling fancy you could make a glaze, for after the muffins cool, by taking powdered sugar and lemon juice, just enough juice to turn the sugar into a thick ooze- and brush or dribble it over your muffins, the thicker the paste the more crunchy the gaze gets when it hardens.
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- a full 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup nonfat yogurt
- dash of milk (this depends upon the thickness of your yogurt)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 stick of butter melted (1/2 for the muffins and 1/4 for brushing into your muffin tin), I prefer salted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds, or poppy seed filling
- zest of one lemon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients, all but the sugar; salt baking powder & flour into a bowl. I sift 3 times, but I am a little over the top. Next, in a different bowl, mix the sugar together with the eggs, until well blended, about a good minute of mixing, no slacking off. Then add in the yogurt, poppy seeds and vanilla followed by the melted butter, finally I add the zest. Using a microplaner is fantastic but a zester or grater will also do. Worst comes to worst you could even use a knife and practice your tiny chopping skills. Add the flour and stir with a spatula in just a few strokes, you want it lumpy but mixed. If your dough is too stiff (it should be about the consistency of pancake batter) add a little splash of milk, 3 tablespoons ought to do you. If you over mix you will have hard muffins. Use the rest of the melted butter to grease your muffin tin, I use a little pastry brush but you could pour it in and use a paper towel too if you were desperate.
I find the best way for getting muffin batter into a muffin tin is to use two large spoons, one to spoon and the other to scape off that spoon into the tin- this will help you from getting mix all over the sides and burning on and being a pain for washing up later. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. If you are feeling fancy you could make a glaze, for after the muffins cool, by taking powdered sugar and lemon juice, just enough juice to turn the sugar into a thick ooze- and brush or dribble it over your muffins, the thicker the paste the more crunchy the gaze gets when it hardens.
2 comments:
I never get to practice my tiny chopping skills!
These look tasty! I would probably try to find some way to include the juice from the lemon, too, for extra lemonyness... maybe stirred into the yoghurt?
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