Lemon Poppyseed Buttermilk Muffins

I think I've found it. My perfect muffin. I knew it the instant I opened the oven door and the faint aroma of lemony goodness came bursting through the open air...

I think this is also the first time I've used buttermilk successfully. I've had many drama with buttermilk before - all due to my ignorance and thinking that buttermilk is like whole cream milk + butter. I even threw away many buttermilk cartons in my fridge before in disgust thinking that they've seen better days when I saw the thickened textures and the slight sour smell. It took me a while to realize that they are supposed to be like yoghurt in texture and smell (afterall, they can't all go bad as soon as they've been in my fridge right?). Anyways, I digress. I just didn't expect ingredients as simple as the basics (e.g. buttermilk, lemon zest, poppyseed + flour/baking soda etc.) would taste as good as this with the perfect soft texture. I am going to make this over and over again until I get sick of it. As I said before, I'm a fan of simple light sweets (as opposed to heavy, rich desserts after dinner) so for me, this is a real treat. I halved the sugar in the recipe so it was just slightly sweet - just the way I like it.

Recipe is from here

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.

In large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest until light(ish).

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir this mixture into the egg mixture, in 2 or 3 additions, alternately with buttermilk. Beat only until combined - don't overbeat! - then spoon the batter into the well-greased (or paper-lined) muffin pan, filling the cups nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Makes 12 muffins.

Variations

Blueberry Muffins: Stir 1 cup fresh or frozen (don't defrost them) blueberries into the batter before spooning it into the muffin pan. Bake as for buttermilk muffins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips into the batter before spooning it into the muffins pan. Bake as for buttermilk muffins.

Poppy Seed Muffins: Mix 1/4 cup poppy seeds into the buttermilk and let soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Add to the batter and bake as for buttermilk muffins.

Cranberry or Cherry Muffins: Stir 1 cup of chopped dried cranberries or dried cherries into the batter before baking. Bake as for buttermilk muffins.