Orange-Poppy Seeds Muffins

These orange-poppy seeds muffins are loaded with citrus flavor, extra soft texture and a little poppy seeds-crunch

Wake up to one of these soft and fluffy, orange-poppy seeds muffins, filled with sunshine-sweet citrus flavor from freshly squeezed orange juice and finely grated zest. The easiest way to brighten up your morning!

Muffins are laughably easy to make, especially when you realize that all you really need are two bowls (one for the dry ingredients, one for the wet) and three steps: mix the dry, mix the wet and combine the two. You can prepare these muffins in minutes without the use of a blender. To keep the muffins soft and moist is actually recommended to whisk the batter by hand, so that you don't overmix it. 

For this recipe I made the muffin liners myself with three sheets of parchment paper. Why would I want to do that - you might ask. Well, first of all, if you've been following me for a while now, you probably know that I hate wasting money, and parchment paper is way cheaper than those fancy liners.

Second, I love the way they look... just like those yummy-looking muffins from your favorite bakery in town. I do recommend to use brown parchment paper, but you can use plain white too! 

And lastly (if you really need one more reason!) you can make any size muffin you like with these AND you can fill these liners way up high, to make extra extra large muffins with NO SPILL OVERS. Ever! Now I know you are going to try these homemade liner too!

Did you notice the prettiest matte black plate I have in my photos? Oh-so pretty, right?!? It's a present from Tuxton Home, for the lunch of their new Zion 2.0 collection, with four contemporary matte glazes to choose from. Extra modern and very stylish. And I LOVE IT!!

Officially on sale on March 9th, this collection is now on pre-sale with a 25% off . Don't miss it! Check it out here: https://tuxtonhome.com/collections/zion-2-0

Here is my how-to video to make these bakery-style, tulip-shaped muffin liners

And here is my video recipe for these muffins. Now, let's get baking!

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 12 muffins

1. • 2 1/3 cups (300 gr) all-purpose flour
   • 3/4 cup (150 gr) sugar
   • pinch salt
   • 2 tablespoons (20 gr) poppy seeds
   • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
   • 2 oranges, finely grated zest and juice
   • 4 oz (115 gr) unsalted butter, melted
   • 1 /4 cup (60 ml) milk, room temperature
   • 1/2 cup (120 gr) plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • 2 eggs, room temperature
   • 1 or 2 tablespoons of sparkling sugar for decorating (optional)

PREPARATION:

TIME: about 45 minutes

Preheat the oven to 425º F (215º C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners. 

Melt the butter cut in pieces in a double boiler or microwave for about 40 seconds. Let cool down.

First bowl: whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, poppy seeds and baking powder. And mix. 

In a second bowl: add the oranges' zest and juice, melted butter,  milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat well. Add the eggs while whisking. 

With a spatula or whisk, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Do not over mix.  

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, using a cookie or ice-cream scoop. 

Sprinkle with the sparkling sugar if you wish. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 425º F (215º C). Lower the temperature to 375º F (190º C), and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden on top.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD: Orange-Poppy Seeds Muffins