My parents visited me and my boyfriend in Oakland a couple weeks ago and brought me a bag full of lemons from their tree in LA. They gave me a couple days notice so I would have time to prepare mentally for the onslaught of lemons that was about to enter my kitchen. First I made lemonade, and true to my grandmother I used her simple and easy ratio! It honestly makes the best lemonade with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

Grandmother’s Gold Coast Lemonade

1 c sugar

1 c lemon juice

4 c water

Mix all ingredients together and then refrigerate.

I next went about creating candied lemon peels like I made at work before Chez Panisse caught on fire. It is an interesting process of blanching and boiling in simple syrup which I will post as soon as I get the whole thing down to a science myself! But even after all these recipes and uses I still had tons of lemons in my house which were quickly going bad… and then I remembered a childhood favorite. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. This recipe is adapted from the goddess herself, Isa Chandra.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Dry:

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds

1/2 tsp salt

Wet:

3/4 cup soy milk (or almond)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup canola

1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk alternative

1/4 tsp lemon zest

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Combine all dry ingredients, taking care to sift the flour for maximum fluffiness.

3. Combine all wet ingredients.

4. Create a well and pour the wet ingredients with a fork into the dry ingredients until well combined taking care not to over mix.

5. Once combined use a spoon or ice cream scoop to fill each lined muffin mold in your pan.

6. Place in oven and bake for 23-27 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Place on a rack to cool and after they have cooled slightly spoon the glaze on top. Garnish as you like, I used chopped candied lemon peel but feel free to leave as is.