Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Muffins

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 OH BOY... Mini Muffins!

But not just any mini muffins, these have such a rick full flavor of LEMONS combined with the Earthy savory flavor of Poppy Seed.

They have a wonderful presentation look.  Not only the speckles of poppy Seed but also the mild lemon yellow color.

BUT ALSO...

The hints of deeper lemon yellow color from a sprinkling of lemon sugar.  The lemon sugar is the key to these muffins, on a couple of levels.  Lemon sugar is very simple to make, but will turn a simple muffin into a star of Pow Zap Zing extra flavor.

I did a separate post on DIY Lemon Sugar.  Just follow the Blue Letter links to see the details.  But really, there are only 2 ingredients, Lemon Zest and sugar.  The trick is to ise your fingers and rub the zest (with the oils) into the sugar.  There is far more lemon flavor in the zest than there is in the juice.  Just keep rubbing until the zest and sugar combine into a sandy texture.

Once you have your lemon sugar, just follow the simple recipe.  Lemon sugar is baked into the muffins and then a sprinkle of extra flavor of additional lemon sugar is added to the tops just as they come out of the oven.

Lemony Sweet and Lemony Delicious!

ENJOY Indeed!

 OK... Here's what I did...

Lemon-Poppy Seed
 Mini Muffins

Ingredients

• For the Lemon Sugar -
  Zest from 3 Lemons (Also juice the lemons, you will use the juice later)
• 1-1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3/4 Cup (1-1/2 Stick) Butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 Cup Lemon Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 4 TBS Poppy Seeds
• 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Use remaining lemon sugar to sprinkle on top of each muffin

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare a 48 mini muffin size  pan with non-stick spray.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. First, make the Lemon Sugar
   Zest 3 Lemons, mix with 1-1/2 Cup Sugar.  Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until the oils have combined the sugar and the zest.  Will be the texture of sand.  Juice the lemons, saving the juice on a separate bowl.
3. In bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the Lemon Sugar.  use the whisk and cream for about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Poppy Seeds
5. Back to the stand mixer, add the eggs.  Then hand whisk in the remaining wet ingredients, Buttermilk, Lemon Juice and Vanilla.
6. Mix the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry stir to evenly mix.  But only mi until just combined.  Do not over mix.
7. Add the batter into the muffin pan, filling to the top of each cavity. 
8. Bake 25 minutes until the tops just starts to brown.  Remove from the oven.  While still HOT, sprinkle a bit of additional Lemon Sugar on the tops of each Muffin.
9. Let the muffins rest in the pan for another 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool,
10. Serve Warm.  Store in an airtight container.
    ... and ENJOY!