Lemon-Poppyseed Cornbread Mini Muffins

As much as I love (LOVE!) giant lemon-poppyseed muffins from coffee shops, let’s face it – they’re not the healthiest. Also, I’ve never had good luck making them at home.

I’ve tried at least a dozen recipes (from trusted cookbooks, online sources, and even my culinary school baking manual), and have had the same problem each time – the tops cave in. I have no idea if there’s a problem with my oven, muffin pan, or something else.

While these concave muffins still taste great, everybody should be entitled to a firm muffin top. On your muffin. Not your pants. I digress . . .

I decided to take matters into my own hands and come up with my own recipe. First, I decided to make MINI muffins, so there’d be a much better chance they would get firmly cooked through without caving.

Also, I used a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and cornmeal, thinking that the cornmeal would add a bit of sturdiness.

They totally worked! Not only were these cornbread mini muffins not concave, but in fact they were downright perky. They also have a super versatile flavor, thanks to them being a hybrid between traditional cornbread muffins and lemon-poppyseed muffins.

They can pair with a crockpot soup or hearty beef stew, as the subtle lemon flavor is a nice counterpoint to the richness of the meal.

Just like my blueberry buttermilk muffin recipe, they can also be eaten as is, or simply spread with a little bit of butter. And they’re perfect as part of brunch ideas for a crowd, smoked salmon platter or breakfast charcuterie board!

Psst – if you love lemon as much as I do, try my lemon zest pancakes!

Lemon-Poppyseed Cornbread Mini Muffins

Author: Lori Yates

Yield: 20 mini muffins

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 8 minutes minutes

Total: 18 minutes minutes

These are a fun sweet-savory combination that goes with so many dishes!

4.6 from 5 ratings

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Ingredients

• ▢ Nonstick cooking spray
• ▢ ½ cup cornmeal
• ▢ ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ Zest of 1 small lemon about 2 teaspoons
• ▢ Pinch of sea salt
• ▢ 1 egg lightly beaten
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ cup milk
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons poppyseeds
• ▢ Juice of 1 small lemon about 1 1/2 tablespoons

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Add egg, oil, milk, poppyseeds and lemon juice; stir until just combined. Spoon batter into 20 prepared mini muffin cups (fill cups about 3/4 of the way full).
• Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Calories: 53kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 27mg, Potassium: 38mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 22IU, Vitamin C: 0.003mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 0.3mg

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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