Surprising fact about me:
I love chocolate.
That might not be surprising, so here’s something that is: every now and then I crave something other than chocolate. Yesterday afternoon I found myself wanting… lemon poppy seed?
Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Katie?
The problem: I didn’t have any poppy seed recipes in my archives.
This was a job for the Candle Cafe. I’ve owned their cookbook for years but, embarrassingly, rarely made recipes from it.
I used to be terrible about buying cookbooks: I’d flip through, bookmark pages, and then never cook from them. I’ve forced myself to stop buying new cookbooks until I use the ones I already have.
So yesterday I pulled out the Candle Cafe Cookbook to make their lemon poppy seed muffins. True to form, I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly and ended up winging it halfway through.
Where’s the 12th mini muffin? In my belly!
Lil Lemon Poppies
(Adapted from the Candle Cafe Cookbook)
- very scant 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1 cup spelt flour (or white, whole-wheat pastry, or a gluten-free mix)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup full-fat butter-type spread, applesauce, oil, or a combination (if using oil or applesauce, add 1/16 tsp salt)
- 2 tbsp sugar (I used less than 2 tbsp because I used stevia)
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger (optional)
Preheat the oven to 355°F. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the liquids and the poppy seeds. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined—do not overmix. Spoon the batter into mini liners or a greased mini muffin tin and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 mini muffins.
If you like, top them with an easy glaze, but they’re delightful plain.
The bake sale is over!
For the results, I’ll publish a full bake sale wrap-up tomorrow with the total raised and next steps. I’m still catching up on a large number of emails, so please be patient if you’re waiting for a reply or delivery details. I’ll also email winners in the next few days.
Question of the Day:
Do you bookmark recipes from cookbooks or blogs and never make them?
Or do you try a recipe right away when you see it? Are you someone who follows recipes exactly, or do you prefer to improvise?