i know you've had lemon poppy seed muffins, but strawberry lemon poppy seed muffins? maybe not. these muffins have the moistness, citrus-y / lemon-y, sweet/tart qualities that the og's have. with a few upgrades: crunchy sugar on top that goes so well with the soft muffin insides, and plenty of jammy strawberries throughout the muffin. it's like if strawberry lemonade got cozy and carby but kept the delicious fruity, tangy flavor.
if you're not in the mood for a muffin, how about baked oatmeal with apples and blueberries or a matcha coconut breakfast bowl?
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt don’t be afraid
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 pound very ripe strawberries hulled, halved and sliced thin (frozen also works)
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave or sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups neutral oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
- finely grated zest from 2 lemons
- 1 ½ cups plain whole milk yogurt room temperature
- 4 large eggs room temperature
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Cut 12 parchment squares big enough to fit inside the wells of two 6-well large muffin tins. Center the parchment over the well, then use a cup to help smush it in. Use your fingers to help crease the parchment cup against the sides of the muffin well hole even more.
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Whisk together the dry ingredients.
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In a small saucepan over medium to low heat, cook the strawberries, honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla until a light, thin syrup coats the berries (she says about 8 minutes, I say less because I like the berries to be pretty chunky). Strain into a small bowl and reserve the berries separate from the sauce.
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In a large bowl, mix the oil, sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and zest until combined. Mix in the yogurt. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined.
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Divide the batter, then berries, then batter, then berries between the 12 lined muffin wells. Drizzle some of the strawberry sauce over the top, then generously sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and the centers spring back lightly to the touch. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.
From Lemon Fire Brigade.
Highly recommend using parchment muffin cups for these muffins. They're pretty big + the strawberries tend to bubble up, so the taller parchment muffin cups make for easier pan removal and clean-up. Use this guide from The Kitchn if you need more help.
If you're on a time crunch or have a really good strawberry jam, you could use dollops of that instead of making a strawberry compote.
If you want more luxurious muffins, you can do all sour cream (or a combo of sour cream and yogurt) instead of the yogurt.
Feel free to do a combo of lemon and orange zest (or all orange zest) depending on your preferences/what you have on hand.
Mary says
Poppyseed muffins are my jam. I used to eat them all the time with my Mom when I was a teenager but I haven’t had a good poppyseed muffin in years. perfect excuse to make them. I’m always down for crunchy sugar on top 😉
Maria | kitchenathoskins says
The texture is just amazingly light Healther and you have the perfect shot! I feel that poppy seed baked goods are so underrated, this muffin looks so yummy with that strawberry filling.
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says
I need more lemon poppyseed muffins in my life, and these look absolutely scrumptious! Nice addition with the strawberries!