Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemony Drizzle

 Last market morning we met up with Luisa for our weekly shop. In her little bike basket she brought us a bag of lemons from her tree at her new place! Once again- no better present than a food present. Apparently she also grows mandarins and limes... I might have to go over and pilfer some citrus.

On Tuesday night I went for a long overdue visit to my grandparents for dinner. I can't seem to turn up anywhere empty handed so their invite was a good excuse to cook some more and blog some more. Plus, the lemons needed to be used! I've been day dreaming about lemon and poppy seed muffins for a while now. A bit of zing on a cold day! I also had a bag of poppy seeds and some gluten free flour in the cupboard that had been sitting around for quite some time - convenient.
I wouldn't usually use bought gluten free flour, but I've been testing out different variations of a muffin recipe that i always follow and it was in the cupboard so  i used it. I didn't want to use buckwheat or spelt, because they're too brown for this recipe. Normal flour obviously does the job, but if you are adverse to wheat, you could try coconut flour, oat or rice flour. Or a combination.

The Lemon Drizzle was a nice addition to the muffins too. It gave them an extra bit of lemon zing and moisture.

Grandpa told me he liked treats and grandma politely said the muffins were nice. Luisa came to dinner too and gave the thumbs up- so surveys proved success! Mum's honest approval sealed the deal. So, who wants a Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin?

Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Makes about 10 muffins
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1 egg
1/2 cup lemon juice
rind of 1 lemon
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg and add other wet ingredients.
Combine all ingredients together and fill a muffin tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Lemon Drizzle
4 tbs coconut oil
rind and juice of 2 lemons
2 tbs maple syrup

In a pot melt the coconut oil. Add maple syrup, rind and lemon juice and simmer until the mixture reduces to a thicker syrup. If the coconut oil in the syrup solidifies before you serve it, warm it again on the stove or in the microwave.

Chocolate, Banana & Almond Muffins

 Mmmmm... Chawwwwcklate! I was kind of looking forward to the crappy weather that was forecast for today so that i could justify a day inside baking. It turned out perfectly. I went out for coffee in the morning, the sky was blue and the sun shone on us through the window of the cafe. It felt like an early Spring day. By the time i got home, the cold front had hit. The sky had turned grey and the wind and rain had picked up. Yes! I turned on the oven.

Despite a constant craving for chocolate in winter, I've felt inspired to make these muffins since Green Kitchen Stories' posted their banana, almond and chocolate cake recipe. Their photos define 'Food Porn' and their recipes are always so creative. I've changed up the recipe a bit with a few  different ingredients and i've adapted the quantities to a standard muffin recipe that i always use! It never fails me. Sorry for the second chocolate recipe in a row. I'm sure you won't mind too much!

Standard Muffin Recipe
Makes 10-12 muffins
1.5 cups flour of choice
1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice
1.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk of choice
3/4 cup oil of choice
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients and add any other dry extras such as spices, chocolate bits, nuts, raisins.
In a separate bowl, beat egg and add other wet ingredients. Add any other wet extras such as mashed bananas, grated fruit, vanilla essence, syrups etc.
Combine all ingredients and fill a muffin tin.

Bake on 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Banana & Almond Muffins Recipe
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
80g chopped 70% couverture chocolate
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1 ripe banana
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut oil (i used less than the original recipe because of the banana)
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup (again i used less sweetener because of the banana and chopped chocolate)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl beat the egg and mash the banana. Add the milk, oil and maple syrup and beat to combine.
Combine all ingredients and fill a muffin tin.
Bake on 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes.


The photos make the muffins look a bit dry, but they were actually super moist and the chopped couverture bits melted the whole way through. Eat them warm with a cuppa! The perfect afternoon tea on a grey day.