Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I remember the first time I ever ate a lemon poppy seed muffin.  I’ve never been a fan of lemon flavored things and for some reason poppy seeds just didn’t sound very good.  I was in middle school, about 14 years old and my best friend had brought in these muffins for her birthday.  I didn’t want to be rude so I hesitantly took a small bite of one of the muffins.  WOWZERS!  Needless to say I was hooked and had a new favorite muffin!  This week we’ve had pretty chilly mornings and muffins sounded like the perfect treat to whip up.  My kids loved mixing everything together and although I wasn’t sure if they would like these muffins – they both ate them all up!  Enjoy!

~Sarah

Ingredients:

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly mist a muffin tin with olive oil.  You can use a regular 12 count muffin tin or a 24 count mini muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and coconut oil and sugar until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
5. In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, salt and lemon zest.
6. With a hand mixer on low speed (you can do this by hand but be prepared for a workout), add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  Slowly add in the yogurt, then lemon juice and finally the vanilla.  Beat just until smooth.
7. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. (Again, you can do this by hand but it is VERY hard – using a hand mixer will make it much easier)
8. Gently fold the egg whites into the muffin batter and mix until blended.
9. Spoon the batter until the muffin tin, filling each to about 3/4 full.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.

Nutritional Info:

Makes 12 regular sized muffins or about 32 mini muffins.

Serving size 1 regular muffin or 3 mini muffins.

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 166, Cal. from Fat: 86, Total Fat: 9.5g, Sat. Fat: 7g, Carbs: 16.5g, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugars: 6.5g, Protein: 2.5g, Sodium: 82.5mg, Chol: 45mg

Notes:

Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours and then need to be placed in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.