• Heat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

  Spray two 12-cup muffin tins with baking spray (or grease them with shortening and dust with flour). Line each muffin cavity with one or two paper muffin liners.

  *This recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen muffins, but if you don't have two you can bake the muffins in two batches. The second bake of muffins will just be a bit flatter than the first dozen.

Prepare the Easy Streusel Topping with Nuts

• Add the all-purpose flour, granulated and brown sugars, chopped nuts, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl, then use your hands to toss together the ingredients.
• Add the butter to the bowl and pinch it into the flour mixture using the "I want money gesture" to incorporate everything.

  It's ready to use once the butter is fully incorporated. Keep the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the lemon poppy seed muffin batter.

Combine the Separate Muffin Batter Components

• Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and the zest from the two lemons to a medium bowl and stir them together for 1 minute using a whisk or one of the beaters from your hand mixer.

  In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt and juice of the two lemons.

  Add the almond extract to the eggs in another bowl.

Cream the Butter and Sugar

• Add the butter, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl, then blend them together for about 1 minute on low speed using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

  Once the mixture is grainy and blended, stop the mixer, then scrape down the bowl and beaters.
• Start mixing again, this time at medium speed (or speed 4), for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

  Stop the mixer once or twice during that 4-minute period to scrape down the bowl and beaters. This is crucial in developing a properly mixed batter.

Gradually Add the Egg-Almond Extract Mixture

• Once the butter mixture looks pale yellow, add the eggs-almond extract mixture to the bowl, one at a time.

  With the mixer on low, add one egg and blend it until it is no longer identifiable. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and beaters, then resume mixing.

  Repeat this process with the remaining eggs.
• After you scrape down the beaters for the last time, increase the speed to medium (or speed 4) and beat the mixture until even more light and airy.

  This time, the mixture will look pale yellow. It’ll look like frosting at this point.

Alternate Adding the Dry and Wet Mixes to Finish the Batter

• Add a third of the dry mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture. Blend on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.

  Next, add half of the wet mixture (the yogurt blend). Blend on low until mixed in.

  Stop and scrape.
• Continue adding the dry and wet ingredients, then stop and scrape.

  You’ll finish with the final third of dry ingredients.

  Blend the batter after scraping down the bowl and beaters for 30 seconds.
• Scrape them down again, then use a large rubber spatula to fold the batter by hand for another 30-45 seconds to finish the mixing without overworking the gluten. It also allows you to press out large air pockets.

Scoop the Batter, Top, Then Bake the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

• Using a #16 portion scoop (AKA an ice cream scoop), scoop the muffin batter into the prepared liners in the muffin tin.

  Top the muffin batter with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the streusel you made earlier.

  Put the muffin pans into the oven as soon as you're done scooping and topping. Bake the muffins for 22-28 minutes, depending on how dark you like the tops. If you want less brown muffins, bake for 25 minutes.

Cool the Muffins

• Once the muffins finish baking, remove the muffin tins from the oven but let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

  After 5 minutes, remove the muffins and let them cool on a wire rack.

  *If you are baking the rest of the batter, you don’t need to grease the tin again; just be sure to line it with the paper cups before scooping in the remaining batter.

Prepare the Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

• Add the cream cheese, butter, and salt to a medium bowl and blend them together on medium-low speed until smooth.

  Next, add the powdered sugar to the bowl and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Finally, thin the glaze out with the lemon juice. 

Glaze, Then Enjoy Your Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

• Fill a 16-inch piping bag (or a gallon-size food storage bag) with the lemon cream cheese glaze.

  Snip 1/4-inch off the tip of the bag and squeeze the glaze over each muffin. You can also drizzle the glaze with a spoon.
• I recommend serving these lemon poppy seed muffins with a fresh fruit salad, yogurt, or even adding them to a larger breakfast or brunch table.

  They're ready to enjoy as soon as you finish drizzling the glaze over them.