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These were seriously delicious! Loved the texture provided by the poppy seeds and chia seeds. The glaze actually ended up being clear but it was so light and delicious (I usually dislike glaze because of that powered sugar glaze) and coated the muffins nicely.
Thanks for an awesome recipe 🙂
Whatever you do, DO NOT imagine me taking down half of that muffin in one bite for picture purposes.
Just don’t even go there in your mind, because I was there in real life and it wasn’t pretty. But it was delicious. It was stuff it in your face ASAP and eat every crumb off the floor embarrassingly, wildly delicious.
I have been trying to get more lemon – check – honey – check – and chia seeds – check – in my life after having a head cold and also being gifted a cute little jar of chia seeds by a sweet friend. And CHIA SEEDS?! Hello, where have you been all my life? Sometimes I think I live under a rock.
One thing though: I can’t taste anything. Like I might have mentioned, I have this horrible head cold — which, one thing you might not know about me yet is that when I have a head cold, or any kind of physical ailment, you’re going to know about it until every last little sniffle and throat itch and .5 degrees above normal temperature is gone, and yes, I married a saint who somehow manages to avoid duct taping my mouth shut and blocking WebMD on all my devices when I am not well — but one of the symptoms that comes with this horrible head cold is not being able to taste anything. I took a bite of muffin this morning and chewed, and chewed, and chewed, waiting for the flavor in my mouth. Nothing.
So then I made the most amazing in the world creamy honey butter glaze that sets up perfectly and looks like smooth dreamy drippy puddle crowning each little muffin, and guess what? Then I could taste the moist lemony zing of the lemon muffins! Which leads us back to the scenario I was describing at the beginning of the post that you weren’t supposed to image. Don’t. Stop. Don’t do it.
This could mean a few things:
- These lemon muffins taste better with glaze (this is truth, regardless of #2 and #3).
- My ability to taste food has improved since first tasting a plain muffin this morning which means I’m getting better and Bjork can stop making trips to the drugstore for the aloe-infused Kleenex! Hip hip hooray!
- My tastebuds are permanently only able to taste honey glaze and I’m doomed to eating it all day every day for the rest of my life. Sigh. Oh, well.
Chia? Well, chia seeds are awesome. I don’t even know that much about chia seeds and I still think they’re awesome. They’re crunchy and cute and can be sprinkled on just about anything, but when you let them soak with overnight oats they get kind of gelatinous. Fun to say that word, right?
In this recipe they’re kind of halvsies replacing poppy seeds. It feels good to be a foodie hipster, doesn’t it?
These muffins will melt in your mouth with the most deliciously moist texture, the brightest, lightest lemon zing and the barely there pop of the chia and poppy seeds. AND THE GLAZE YOU GUYS. Just plan to double it. I’m just telling you right now. You think I’m joking but I definitely don’t joke about honey glaze.
This is my permanent honey lemon home therapy remedy thing, and don’t even try to stop me.
Lemon Muffins with Chia Seeds and Honey Glaze
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 large muffins 1x
Description
These lemon muffins are like poppy seed muffins but they have the addition of healthy chia seeds and a smooth honey glaze.
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 2 large lemons (yielding 2 tablespoons zest and 1/3 cup juice)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 cup thick plain Greek yogurt (I did not use low fat)
- 1/4 cup milk or cream (I used half and half)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream (I used half and half)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the lemon zest and the sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Rub together with your fingers for a few minutes to release the lemon flavor from the zest. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice, vanilla, eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, chia seeds, poppy seeds, and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into greased muffin tins; you should be able to get 8 large muffins. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.
- For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, and milk together until smooth. Heat the butter over medium heat until melted; add the glaze mixture and stir until bubbling and warm, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and glaze muffins immediately by dipping muffins upside down into the glaze saucepan or spooning the glaze over the tops. Glaze should set quickly.
Notes
Several commenters have had trouble getting the glaze to thicken, so I’ve adjusted the amount for more powdered sugar. For an alternative glaze recipe that seems to work for everyone, check out this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: lemon muffins, lemon poppyseed muffins, muffin recipe, healthy muffin recipe
Lemon Poppyseed anything is my fav and I love that you snuck those chia seeds in there! Sneaky Sneaky, healthy healthy!
I need that glaze in my life, on my face, everywhere. I would be totally ok if that was all I could taste for the rest of my life.
I hope ya feel better soon…and good hubby for blocking WebMD. Mine does that too…even when I am not ill.
I love this recipe!! I think I use lemons in 8 out of 10 recipes I create. I just love them, but what else can you expect from a Greek girl? 🙂 I also grab for my honey at least once a day. My kids will love all of the familiar flavors in this recipe! Thanks!!
THIS is my idea of bing hipster: bright, lemony, lovely poppy-chia seed muffin-face stuffing fun! Feel better soon Lindsay! In the meantime: glaze.
You know me.
Always love your photos, but these are super nice – such gorgeous light! So clever of you to use chia seeds and poppy seeds in these. It seems like such a simple recipe but with a hip and trendy (in the food sense!) twist. Hope they help you feel better soon … of course they will!
Chia seeds are the best! If you soak them in a few tablespoons of water they become a decent egg replacement too. Plus Omega 3’s! I’m glad I just finished breakfast so that I can use some self control over that yummy glaze. Feel better 🙂
Ah yes – great idea!
I LOVE chia seeds! Use ’em all the time. I normally use them as an egg swap in lemon muffins, because then people just assume they’re poppy seeds, win!
I want to suck that glaze through a straw, yesss! Also chia seeds are like weird but also awesome!
Yes!!! These look so so yummy!
Anything lemon is good with me!
I have an entire bag of chia seeds sitting in my pantry and didn’t really know what to do with them… until now. These muffins look incredible – I am dying over the glaze. Hope you get well soon!
You’re going to be eating a loottt of muffins. Lucky.
Hi Lindsay! These look so great! Just one question–have you tried using all chia seeds vs. half chia half poppyseed? I’ve tried all chia before and my muffins didn’t turn out very well…but I’m curious to know if someone else has managed it 🙂
Actually I looked up a few recipes before making these ones and several I found used only chia seeds. I just added the poppy seeds for extra effect. 🙂
I’m big into chia seeds lately and these look like the PERFECT way to eat them!
I love the use of chia seeds here, I have to get some of those for my pantry. The glaze also looks amazing!
Let’s just start by saying I follow Pinch of Yum because of your writing. I love your humor and quirkiness! I’ve never tried chia seeds in any form before but this looks and sounds amazing. This is definitely happening soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thanks Thien! 🙂
I love the chia made it onto the blog! Foodie hipster, indeed. I think I’ll go make a kale salad. 😉
My sister says the “it” food of 2014 is brussel sprouts, and you’re already all over that one!! (I trust her because she lives in Seattle.)
Ah yes! Love me some brussels! Thanks for the chia introduction! 🙂
I am not a big fan of lemon but your pictures are changing my mind to give it another try :)!
I have been dying to try chia seeds! Your muffins look delicious especially that glaze!
That last picture has my knees weak. I kind of want to get sick just so I have an excuse to drink this honey glaze like juice.
Nah, I’ll just do it anyway 😉 Feel better quick, Lindsay!
Um… love love love this recipe. My mom attends Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and has been telling me for a while to start using chia seeds in my blog posts because its the new “hip” thing. I love my dear mother but haven’t tried using these awesome seeds yet.
Getting on using them now those because I love this recipe!!! Oh, and gelatinous, definitely an fun word to use. 🙂 Thanks Lindsay, hope you get to feeling better soon. Being sick is no bueno!
Love that your mom is in cooking school! Thanks for the comment Krista! 🙂
That honey glaze looks fantastic! Maybe it will break me out of my peanut butter & honey toast habit 😉
I’ve never tried chia seeds before….apparently I’ve been missing out!!
Oh. My. Gaaaaaaa! They look FABULOUS Lindsay!! And that thick glaze… You definitely weren’t joking when you said to double it. Even with that thick layer, you cannot beat honey’s flavor. You just can’t. You always need more.
I’m so late to the chia seed party… I still haven’t even tried them! I know they’ve been a thing for, like, 3 years now, so I think that needs to change soon. Especially if it means I can bake muffins!
I would love these for breakfast. I am a lemon fanatic.
I think I am gonna adopt your #3 “My tastebuds are permanently only able to taste honey glaze and I’m doomed to eating it all day every day for the rest of my life. Sigh. Oh, well.” as my mantra!
I am in the process of making these and have zested two good size lemons but got barely 1/8 cup zest. Just wondered if the 1/4 c was correct? Those must have been some huge lemons.
Whoa. No, not sure what happened there. It should be more like 2 T. Thanks for the catch!