Lovely Lemon Muffins

Now that we’ve got some kitchen basics down, it’s time to get baking! This recipe is one of my children’s favorites. These muffins are also easy to make, which makes them a favorite of mine too.

Please note that if you’re not a big fan of lemon-poppy seed muffins, you can change this recipe up a bit. Sometimes I will omit the poppy seeds and lemon zest, replacing them instead with dried cranberries (1/2 cup) and orange zest.

2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see note below)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (use freshly ground if possible)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough soy milk to equal 1 cup
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ tablespoons grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins with oil or casein-free margarine. Combine flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, xanthan gum, and poppy seeds in a large bowl. In a medium bowl beat eggs, lemon juice/milk mixture, sugar, canola oil, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, taking care to not over mix. Pour batter into muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven about 15 minutes. Makes approximately 15 muffins.

Note: Feel free to use whatever combination of flour you like. My favorite flour mix right now consists of 1 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup tapioca flour, ¾ cup cornstarch, and ¾ cup white rice flour.