My parents visited me and my boyfriend in Oakland a couple weeks ago and brought me a bag full of lemons from their tree in LA. They gave me a couple days notice so I would have time to prepare mentally for the onslaught of lemons that was about to enter my kitchen. First I made lemonade, and true to my grandmother I used her simple and easy ratio! It honestly makes the best lemonade with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
Grandmother’s Gold Coast Lemonade
1 c sugar
1 c lemon juice
4 c water
Mix all ingredients together and then refrigerate.
I next went about creating candied lemon peels like I made at work before Chez Panisse caught on fire. It is an interesting process of blanching and boiling in simple syrup which I will post as soon as I get the whole thing down to a science myself! But even after all these recipes and uses I still had tons of lemons in my house which were quickly going bad… and then I remembered a childhood favorite. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. This recipe is adapted from the goddess herself, Isa Chandra.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Dry:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
1/2 tsp salt
Wet:
3/4 cup soy milk (or almond)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup canola
1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk alternative
1/4 tsp lemon zest
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Combine all dry ingredients, taking care to sift the flour for maximum fluffiness.
3. Combine all wet ingredients.
4. Create a well and pour the wet ingredients with a fork into the dry ingredients until well combined taking care not to over mix.
5. Once combined use a spoon or ice cream scoop to fill each lined muffin mold in your pan.
6. Place in oven and bake for 23-27 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Place on a rack to cool and after they have cooled slightly spoon the glaze on top. Garnish as you like, I used chopped candied lemon peel but feel free to leave as is.
I made these this morning. They were a great success! Totally redeemed the gummy ones I made last week. I only made small adjustments for altitude and skipped the glaze to make them less sugary for the kids, mostly. Thanks for sharing!