I was six years old when the original Annie hit theaters, and I was completely smitten. Though I'm quite aware that I can't carry a tune, it didn't stop me from learning all of the words to "Tomorrow" and belting them out at random moments. Even years later, I never miss an opportunity to watch this classic on TV.
So I admit that I had mixed feelings about seeing the 2014 version... How would it compare to the original? Would I be disappointed in the ways that it strays from the 1982 screenplay?
Walmart sent me a copy of the movie on Blu-Ray/DVD, so I decided to make an evening of watching it with my girls. And of course a movie night requires snacks, so I baked a batch of these deliciously moist lemon poppy seed muffins. The only problem? They were a little too tasty...
How is that possible, you ask? Let's just say that I ran upstairs to take a shower before my kids got home from school, and when I came back down, there were only three muffins left!!! No problem - they're super simple, so I just made another batch.
Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
There are two things that set these amazing lemon poppy seed muffins apart from the crowd:
1) Inspired by a King Arthur Flour recipe, I added ⅓ cup of medium grind cornmeal to the batter. This adds some unexpected texture and makes for a slightly heartier muffin, making these a fantastic way to start off every "tomorrow"!
2) Instead of the typical drizzling glaze with confectioners' sugar, I made a quick lemon simple syrup and then stirred in some lemon zest. I brushed this mixture over the top of the still-warm-from-the-oven muffins for a bit of added sweetness with a little zing!
PRO TIP: One lemon should yield approximately ¼ cup juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, so you will need two lemons total for this recipe.
Also, I prefer to make these moist lemon poppy seed muffins with yogurt. My favorite is a whole milk vanilla-flavored variety, but any plain or Greek yogurt will also work well. In a pinch, you can substitute milk, but it will change the texture of your muffins somewhat.
Printable Recipe ↓
Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup yellow corn meal
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 large lemons - zested and juiced (divided)
- 2 large egg
- ½ cup butter - melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract - optional
For the lemon simple syrup:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and butter together. Stir in ¼ cup lemon juice. The mixture may curdle a bit, but this is fine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the flour mixture is incorporated. Over stirring will cause dry, tough muffins.
- Divide the batter equally among 12 paper-lined muffin cups. (See: Make your own parchment paper cupcake liners with these step-by-step instructions.)
- Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- While the muffins are baking, make the simple syrup by heating ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
- Brush the lemon simple syrup mixture over the top of each still-warm muffin after removing them from the oven. Allow to cool for five minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.
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Suzanne says
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing!
https://iambaker.net/