HappyTummy              

I love breakfast foods. I could eat them all day long…and in fact, I oftentimes do! On many Mondays, a group of coworkers and I head to a nearby cafe, and I always order an omelet with brunch potatoes. Many times for dinner, I’ll eat a big bowl of cereal with banana slices and chopped walnuts. I love pancakes, waffles, eggs of any kind, English muffins, granola, scones…pretty much any breakfast.

So these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins were right up my alley. They were the perfect breakfast for a very snowy day. Bright, tangy, citrusy flavor…but also rich and creamy, thanks to the yogurt. As always, I used raw sugar, which gave it an unexpectedly delicious crunch. Dorie suggested drizzling the muffins with icing, but I didn’t…and really didn’t miss it at all!

These muffins lasted just long enough for me to take a few pictures. My brother-in-law’s family came over to visit, and everyone devoured them.

Thanks for picking this winner, Betsy! My adapted version of Dorie’s recipe is below, but for the original, visit Betsy’s blog, A Cup of Sweetness.

Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Makes 12 muffins

• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of lemon strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough – a few lumps are better than over mixing the batter. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffins cups.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.