Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Side of view of an almond poppy seed muffin with a bite taken out.

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These easy Almond Poppy Seed Muffins are soft, moist, and tender with a plush crumb and plenty of almond flavor. Made with sour cream and a simple one-bowl method, they are an easy bakery-style muffin recipe for breakfast, brunch, or make-ahead mornings.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: muffins

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Cynthia Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
4 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable, avocado, or sunflower oil
1 cup full-fat sour cream room temperature (low fat is fine)
¼ cup whole milk room temperature
2 large eggs room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar optional
¼ cup raw sliced almonds roughly chopped, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Melt the butter and stir in the neutral oil. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, melted butter, and oil until smooth and well combined.
Whisk in the poppy seeds and let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to give the poppy seeds a chance to hydrate.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until evenly incorporated.
Immediately add the flour and use a rubber spatula to fold everything together just until the last streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix.
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Line all 12 wells of a standard muffin pan with paper liners and lightly spritz the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin wells.
If desired, sprinkle each muffin with coarse sparkling sugar and chopped raw sliced almonds.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes.
Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes longer.

Notes

Letting the poppy seeds sit in the wet ingredients for 5 to 10 minutes gives them a chance to hydrate before baking. Fold the flour into the batter only until it disappears.
Overmixing can develop too much gluten and make the muffins less tender. The 15-minute batter rest allows the flour to hydrate and helps produce a softer, more even crumb.
Lightly spraying the paper liners helps the tender muffins release more easily.
Use raw, not toasted, sliced almonds for the topping. They will toast as the muffins bake and are less likely to become overly browned.
Roughly chopping the sliced almonds distributes more almond pieces over each muffin and helps them toast evenly.

Nutrition