Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I wanted to post this earlier but have been dealing with some solid head colds around here.  The kind that throw off your equilibrium and make you feel like you just stepped off the Gravitron!  But we are all better now and while monkeying in my kitchen a few days ago I came up with this gem of a breakfast treat.  Wonderful enough to officially label it as My Favorite and My Best, the flavor is fresh yet intense.  I think I ate almost the whole dozen!  My Big Guy has labeled these as his favorite as well.  The Beurre Noisette (pronounced bur nwah-zet) makes this so savory, the lemon gives it a fresh zest and the yogurt keeps them moist.  I hope you give these a try and love them as much as we do, we are on our 3rd batch already this week.  The How To below is for the Beurre Noisette (Browned Butter), but when you say it in french it sounds all the more fancy.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Print recipe here

⅔ C turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw) + 2 TB for sprinkling tops
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 C whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp celtic sea salt
¾ C plain Greek yogurt or cultured sour cream
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp almond extract
½ C browned butter, cooled
2 TB poppy seeds
¼ C sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees F. Line a 12 regular sized muffin tray with paper muffin liners, place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, measure the sugar and top with lemon zest. Combine until the wonderful lemon fragrance rises and consumes your smelling senses! Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a a smaller bowl whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt or sour cream, almond extract, lemon juice , browned and cooled butter.

3. Make a well in the dry ingredients bowl, pour the wet ingredients into the well and mix until almost thoroughly combined. Add poppy seeds and combine. Be careful not to over mix!

4. Divide batter between muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with sliced almonds pressing slightly, top with turbinado sugar.

5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a wood skewer inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing, if you can wait that long before ripping one out and biting into it!
 
 
 
How To: Beurre Noisette (Browned Butter)
Print recipe here
 

1. Heat your pan to medium high heat, place the butter in a pot or pan.

2. High heat will brown the butter quickly, and maintain a regular consistency. However, if you do not monitor the butter properly, the milk solids and salt particles will sink to the bottom of the pan and burn. Keep an eye at all times on the pan.

3. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter becomes a light tan color. Remove the pan from the heat. The butter will continue cooking even after you remove it from the burner. The finale should be nut-brown and have a toasty aroma. Overcooked butter will have a very bitter taste.

5. Substitute brown butter for melted butter. It will add a complex and nutty flavor to your food with this classic French technique.
 
 
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