The combination of zesty lemon, creamy cream cheese, crunchy poppyseeds, and a buttery streusel creates an extraordinary lemon poppyseed muffin that will have you coming back for seconds.
4ouncescream cheesesoftened to room temperature (113 grams)
2tablespoonssalted buttersoftened to room temperature (30 grams)
¾cupgranulated sugar150 grams
Zest of 2 large lemonsabout 2 tablespoons
1large egg
½teaspoonvanilla extract
¼cupmilkcan substitute with buttermilk (60 ml)
¼cupfresh lemon juicefrom 1-2 large lemons (60 ml)
Streusel Topping:
¾cupall-purpose flour107 g
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar25 grams
2tablespoonsbrown sugar25 grams
4tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted (57 g)
¼tspsalt
¼tsppoppy seeds
Lemon Glaze:
3tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
¾cuppowdered sugarmore or less (98 grams)
Instructions
Muffin Batter:
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or spray each muffin cavity.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until they are well combined. The mix will be light and fluffy. Mix for about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, buttermilk, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Fold in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined. The mix should be a bit lumpy, avoid overmixing or they will be tough.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.
For the crumb topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork or a whisk until the mixture forms tiny clumps and sticks together when pressed with your fingers.
Top the muffins with the crumb topping. It is more than okay to be generous and use all the mix.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until slightly golden or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them and setting them on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:
While the muffins are baking, add the lemon juice to a small bowl and gradually add the powdered sugar. Whisk constantly until desired consistency. Adjust consistency by adding more lemon juice for a runnier glaze, or more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency. The ideal consistency should be thick but it still flows out of the spoon. Drizzle glaze over the top of each muffin after they have cooled. Let them set completely before storing them.