Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

I love Almond Poppy Seed flavor, as illustrated by this quick bread and these pancakes.  My mom used to make that Almond Poppy Seed bread all the time when I was a kid.  I loved it then and I still love it.  So when I spotted these muffins, I bookmarked them to make sometime.  I love that this recipe contains both buttermilk and coconut oil.  I had a lot of reasons to be excited about these.  :)

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

adapted from The Daring Gourmet

Makes 6 jumbo or 12 regular-sized muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (can use some whole wheat pastry flour)
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup virgin coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon good quality almond extract (I used a bit less)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Sliced almonds

1.  Preheat the oven to 365 degrees F.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, or in a stand mixer, cream the butter, coconut oil, and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Add the eggs, almond and vanilla extract, and buttermilk and beat until combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined, being careful not to over-beat. Lumps of flour will remain and that’s okay.  Add the poppy seeds and stir gently until combined.

3.  Fill 6 jumbo/king-sized greased muffin tins till almost full, or you can use a regular sized, 12-cup greased muffin tin.  Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds.

4.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean but moist. Be careful not to overbake and do not open the oven too early.

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