Jack's Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 My son, Jack, is taking a home economics class in school and currently the students are learning how to bake, measure, and prepare ingredients.  Last night after dinner, Jack asked if I could help him make lemon poppy seed muffins. He had a recipe from school that he wanted to try at home.  Of course, I said "yes"!  Any time a kid shows interest in doing something that will improve their life skills is a wonderful thing!

We searched the kitchen to ensure we had all the ingredients first.  Thankfully, I had everything in the pantry the recipe called for except the poppy seeds.  Jack didn't mind leaving those out this time so we put on our aprons, turned on the oven, and began mixing the ingredients! 

Here is a list of all the ingredients you'll need:

•  3 cups all-purpose flour
•  1 cup granulated sugar
•  2 tablespoons poppy seeds (we left them out this time)
•  1 tablespoon baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (Greek or regular) or buttermilk
•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
•  1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
•  2 large eggs
•  1 stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) butter, melted and cooled

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (if using a dark-coated pan, preheat to 350 degrees F). Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins or line with muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt/buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together once or twice to start combining.  Add the melted butter and gently fold/stir until just combined. Don't overmix or the muffins might be dry and tough!
4. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full (use a cookie scoop if you have one)
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, let cool, and enjoy!  

The muffins turned out delicious and it was a blast baking with my son!  He wanted to do everything on his own, so I was only there to supervise and do clean-up (kids can be messy).  He was so proud of how they turned out and wanted everyone to try them - mom, dad, Grandma, and his brother!  They made a yummy dessert after dinner!  

Let me know if you give Jack's lemon muffin recipe a try!  He would be so excited to hear that he inspired more kids to get into the kitchen!

Happy Baking!

Hayley

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