Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten-free + Dairy-free)

Lemon poppyseed muffins were one of my favorite things as a kid, but since going gluten and dairy free, I haven't been able to find anything to match my memory of those fluffy store-bought muffins from my childhood. Until now! This recipe hits that sweet spot of comfort food and nostalgia that I'd been missing.

These muffins are one of my favorite go-to sides. I love that they seem to go with everything, from breakfast, to my kids' lunches, to soups and salads. They are light and fresh, and the almond flour in this recipe takes the depth of flavor to the next level. The lemon zest adds the spunk and the poppyseeds give that subtle crunch of texture.

Important Ingredients

• Almond Flour — Almond flour gives a wonderful lightness to gluten-free baking as well as adding a depth of flavor to the gluten-free flour blend. I like this almond flour.

• Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour — This gluten-free blend helps the muffins bind together.

• Lemon Zest — This recipe uses one lemon, zest and juice. While the fresh juice can be replaced with lemon juice from the store, the zest is really important for building the delicious lemon flavor in these muffins. I like this lemon zester.

• Coconut oil — I buy this large tub of coconut oil. Avocado oil or canola oil are also good substitutions in this recipe.

How to Make this Recipe

Warm oil and milk. Warm the coconut oil and milk in the microwave on low power until the coconut oil is fully melted. Warming them together prevents the cold milk from solidifying the melted oil when combined. You want the coconut oil melted, but take care not to overheat the mixture or it will cook your egg on the next step. If using avocado oil or canola oil, you can skip this step.

Add egg and vanilla. Whisk the egg into the oil and milk mixture, then add the vanilla extract.

Zest and juice the lemon. Zest and juice the lemon, then add both to the wet mixture. The amount of lemon juice can affect the wetness of the batter. For a more accurate measurement, use 40 grams of lemon juice or about 3 Tablespoons.

Preheat oven to 350 degree. If you haven't already, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine flours. In a large bowl, combine almond flour and gluten-free flour blend.

Combine remaining dry ingredients. Add the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, poppyseeds, and salt to the flour mixture. Stir well till fully combined and ensure there are no brown sugar lumps.

Combine wet and dry. Make a well in the dry mixture. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently until just combined. The mix might seem too wet at first, but almond flour absorbs liquid more slowly than other flours. Within a minute, it should start to look like batter. Don't overmix.

Pour into muffin pan. Scoop or pour batter into a greased muffin pan, filling all twelve cups. There is approximately 1/3 cup of batter per muffin cup.

Bake. Bake for 18-20 minutes or till an inserted skewer comes out clean and the muffins are slightly golden. If you are at or near sea level, you will probably only need 18 minutes while a higher elevation will more likely need the full 20 minutes.

Cool. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from the muffin pan. The muffins will be soft, and it's best to remove them from the pan with a thin spatula. This Norpro spatula is my favorite for this purpose.

Recipe Notes

Warm the coconut oil and the milk together. Warming the oil and milk together prevents the coconut oil from solidifying again when mixed with cold milk.

Substitutions

Gluten-Free Blend. King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour also works great in this recipe and can be substituted for the Bob's Red Mill.

Lemon Juice. If you're in a hurry, 2 T. lemon juice can substitute the fresh lemon in this recipe, but without the zest, the lemon taste will not be as noticeable.

Less sugar. I frequently decrease the sugar to a 1/4 cup on this recipe, instead of 1/2 cup. Just know that they won't rise quite as much with less sugar.