Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I have been trying to get back in the habit of making a few make-ahead meals on weekends to make weekdays a bit more manageable. While looking through old recipes, I came across a recipe I made nearly a decade ago for Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I decided to revisit the recipe, adding a bit more lemon flavor through the addition of lemon extract (paid link). These yummy little guys are the result!

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcake-sized muffins or 6 large muffins):

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and allowed to cool slightly
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce to make vegan
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 cup whole milk, or coconut milk to make dairy free/vegan
  • the zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Continue reading Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Citrus Poppy Seed Pound Cake

My mom’s birthday was earlier this week and I wanted to make her a treat to celebrate. She might be citrus’ biggest fan, so I knew I had to incorporate a couple of citrus components into it. This Citrus Poppy Seed Pound Cake was the result!

This recipe is adapted from a NYTimes Cooking recipe.

Ingredients:

  • Butter, for greasing the loaf pan
  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon, divided 
  • the zest and juice of 1 orange, divided
  • the zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided 
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, or vanilla extract to make nut free
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Continue reading Citrus Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Beet Risotto

I love the taste of beets, but preparing them is so time consuming that I tend to avoid buying them. Most recipes involving beets require you to roast the beets and then peel them. I came across a recipe for beet risotto in Food and Wine that just cooked the beets on the stove top in significantly less time. This risotto recipe is supposed to turn a beautiful red color from the beets. I didn’t get the same bright red color but I still love how it looks!
Ingredients:
  • 3 cups chicken stock or water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 large beets peeled and finely chopped, plus thinly sliced beets for garnish
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 ounces young pecorino cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more for garnish

Continue reading Beet Risotto

Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Muffins are the perfect Sunday baking activity to set yourself up for breakfasts throughout the week. I haven’t made a batch in so long so I’m happy I finally had time to do so! I was given the opportunity to try Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil and I thought the best way to try the oil out would be in baking. (I adapted this recipe for Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from the 1 Mix, 100 Muffins cookbook.)

 

Coconut oil can be used like butter in its solid state and like oil in its liquid state. It does have a slight coconut flavor to it so it’s a great way to enhance the flavor of many dishes. These Coconut-Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins have just a hint of coconut that is really complementary to the Lemon flavor.

 

Tropical Traditions is also sponsoring a giveaway! One lucky reader will win their very own jar of coconut oil! Details below.

 

Ingredients (this recipe makes a dozen muffins):
2 cups all-purpose flour, leveled with a knife
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted and allowed to cool slightly
the zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Note: The method I will list below is the one I ended up using for this recipe. And the reason I used this method was because I completely forgot to add in the sugar and poppy seeds at the correct time! Anyways, the muffins turned out fine. Whew.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Add 6 tablespoons coconut oil to a small saute pan over medium heat until completely melted. Remove from heat and reserve.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. (If you have a stand mixer, add the dough hook and turn it on low for a minute or two. It will break up all the chunks, just as good as sifting!)

 

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

 

Add the milk, melted coconut oil, and lemon rind. And mix with a whisk to combine.

 

Make a well in the flour mixture and add the wet mixture to the bowl.

 

Stir until just combined (I used the lowest setting on my stand mixer. You can just use a spatula.)

 

Add the sugar and poppy seeds, stirring until just combined.

 

Add the batter to the muffin pan. To get equal sized muffins, use a small ladle or an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter.

 

Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes; you want the muffins to have risen and be slightly golden brown on top, or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove.

 

So everyone knows how delicious normal Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are.  The coconut oil brings the muffins from good to great!

 

They are so fragrant. I was having trouble photographing them because I kept trying to eat them!

 

There is definitely a taste of coconut present without it being overwhelming; I find that coconut can really overtake a dish sometimes.

 

The lemon still shines through and is wonderfully sweet (due to all that sugar!)

 

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
So on to the giveaway!

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:
Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
To enter, use the widget below. You have 8 chances to win (Writing a comment is mandatory, the rest are optional)! Giveaway ends this Friday, May 11 at 11:59PM EST. Good luck!

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