Recipe: The Most Lemony of Lemon Muffins

Late one summer, when I was about 12 years old, my mother packed us all up in the van and took us to a small local fair. At this point there were six of us kids (or was it seven?) and any excuse to get out of the house was a good one.

But my mom had a mission — she wasn’t just going to drag us out to a county fair. She was entering a baking contest. She wrapped up a couple loaves of intensely lemony quick bread, drizzled with lemon syrup and sprinkled generously with zest. And we marched off to that fair, lemon’s aroma wafting into the back of our very long stretch van.

I’ll spoil the ending for you: my mom didn’t win the baking contest — but she got second place! Her lemon sesame bread, a very last minute baking contest entry, baked up on a whim, was afterwards referred to as that award-winning bread, and much requested.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted, optional
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the lemon syrup:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice, from the juiced lemons (above)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Additional lemon zest to garnish, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with liners or by greasing the cups. Whisk the flour, sugar, sesame seeds (if using), baking powder, and salt with the lemon zest. In a small bowl beat the milk, oil, egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat with a spoon just until smooth.
2. Pour into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick just comes out clean.
3. While baking, prepare the lemon syrup. Whisk the lemon juice and sugar together in a small saucepan and boil for about five minutes or until slightly reduced and shiny. Remove from the heat.
4. When the muffins come out of the oven, immediately poke a couple toothpick holes in each muffin and carefully drizzle the hot syrup over them. Let cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan to let the syrup absorb.

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