Moist and fluffy poppy seed muffins infused with the aromatic sweetness of almond and dipped in a heavenly smooth glaze of vanilla bean icing!
Why are poppy seeds so ding dang darn GOOD???
I mean, think about it. It’s just a teeny tiny seed, but somehow it transforms breads and cakes into the most magical confection brimming with flavor. It truly is a magical seed, in my opinion.
Whenever I think of poppy seeds though, I’m reminded of that episode of “Seinfeld” when Elaine’s drug test at work comes back positive for opium after eating her favorite poppy seed muffins. Some say this whole opium/poppy seed matter is a myth, and others say it actually happens. It sure does prove the point though that this tiny little seed is much mightier than you would think, not only in baked goods but in drug tests as well!
Regardless of whether this belief is true or not, these Vanilla Bean-Glazed Almond Poppy Seed Muffins are SO totally worth a failed drug test any day of the year.
This is actually the first ever poppy seed recipe I’ve ever posted on my blog. Can you believe it?? How can that be true when poppy seed muffins are one of my all-time favorite muffins ever?? I seriously cannot fathom how it took me a whole FOUR flippin’ years to post a poppy seed recipe. At any rate, I’m so glad I finally decided to create this classic with my own little spin on it.
While poppy seed and lemon go hand in hand, I really just wanted these muffins to be all about that poppy. I didn’t want the lemon to overshadow the poppy seeds, so I paired it with my most favorite flavoring–almond extract! The combo of the two flavors is absolutely heavenly, providing a lighter, fruitier sweetness to the muffin.
Speaking of sweetness, these ain’t no Costco poppy seed muffins which are basically giant yellow cupcakes with poppy seeds. No shade or anything, because I do like my Costco muffins. However, these little guys are more of your classic, not overly sweet muffins. Just as the Universe intended them to be.
Although muffins have a bad rap for being one of the more unhealthy breakfast pastries, these muffins are actually not that bad for you. With just 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of butter in the entire recipe, I’d say that’s pretty healthy. Wouldn’t you? I mean, you can’t totally eliminate fat if you want a moist and fluffy muffin. So with not as much fat in the recipe, I made sure to add a good amount of Greek yogurt to produce that perfectly moist crumb we all love in our muffins.
Being the sweetness addict that I am, I for sure was not going to stop there. These muffins were dying to be drenched in a sugary sweet glaze of vanilla bean icing. Since these muffins aren’t overly sweet to begin with, the icing was the perfect way to turn the sweetness up a few notches. The vanilla bean flavor really enhances the almond in these muffins as well as the nuttiness of the poppy seeds.
And while these are plenty good just as they are, muffins just aren’t complete without that little dab of butter.
Because Butter = Better, right?
Almond Poppy Seed Muffins w/ Vanilla Bean Icing
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 2 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ Tablespoon poppy seeds
Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Seeds from one whole vanilla bean*
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons water
Instructions
Make the Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF degrees. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk both sugars and the eggs together until thickened and combined. Whisk in the butter and canola oil. Add the yogurt, milk, almond extract, and vanilla, and continue whisking until combined.
- Pour the poppy seeds on top of the dry ingredients, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, cream, vanilla seeds, almond extract, and 1 Tablespoon of water until smooth. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Dip tops of cooled muffins into the icing, allowing excess to drip off. Place onto wire rack set over parchment paper and allow icing to set up.** Reheat icing in the microwave if it becomes too thick to dip.
- Store in an airtight container.