Poppy Seed Muffins

I love to bake for Ryan. I may have said this before but it's worth saying again. He is my favorite person to bake for. I love making him things he's asked for or surprising him with something new. And he is a great test subject; he graciously advises when something doesn't work and of course makes sure I know when he loves something. Even when I have epic fails he is always there encouraging me and helping me talk out what changes I want to try next time.

A few days ago Ryan suggested I try making poppy seed muffins. He even found a recipe to try so how could I refuse? He found it online at Betty Crocker. We finally had time last night and while we are still learning to work with each other in the kitchen the muffins were neither burnt or under baked so I consider our endeavour a success. He even came prepared: He had already read through some of the reviews and had ideas on how to make our own changes.

We decided to double the recipe. At some point, one of us added too much baking soda or the other added too much baking powder. Meh, oh well. It happens to me a little more often than I'd like to admit. But, we decided to roll with it. Tip of the day: Roll with it. You never know what awesome discoveries your mistakes will lead you too. And besides, life is too short to cry over spilled milk. Or over-measured baking soda.

The recipe was really simple. We were able to mix it all in a bowl. I enjoyed not needing my stand mixer for this one. We also skipped adding almonds to the top, of which neither of us are fans so it was a legit omission. And since we skipped the almonds we also didn't sprinkle the tops with sugar. I tend to skip that part of a recipe anyways. I'm sure the sugar would add a nice crunch to the topping but it really isn't needed.

I think these turned out awesome. My mom had given me jumbo baking cups since they didn't fit in her muffin pan. They fit perfectly in mine and with the doubled recipe we had just the right amount of batter to fill each cup. The muffins rose quite a bit and I think that had to do with our overmeasurement but the texture was fine. Ryan said they set up very well today and of course I forgot to pack one in my lunch. I can definitely see why people add lemon to these; the flavor blends so well with the almond and poppy seed. Ryan is a purest and prefers his poppy seed muffins lemon-less. But I do think it will be fun to try different combinations with the recipe. I'll have to let you know how that goes.

I also love that this is another at-home recipe for something we normally purchase. Any time I can bake something versus buying it from store is a huge budget saver for me. I can't wait to make these again. Maybe for a snowy Saturday morning sometime this winter?

Happy Baking!