RECIPE | buckwheat lemon poppyseed muffins with cacao nibs

If you do not like the taste of buckwheat or tend to avoid hearty baked goods, these lemon poppyseed muffins are not for you. They have nothing to do with the saccharine-sweet, cake-like lemon poppyseed muffins enclosed in Starbucks' glass cases worldwide. However, these substantial, lightly sweetened muffins with the rich flavours of buckwheat, cacao, and lemon are perfect for a healthy winter weekday breakfast for a whole grain lover like me.

I made these gluten-free muffins for breakfast on Christmas Day, when I could not fit anything larger in my stomach after a filling Christmas Eve feast of paella*, churros y chocolate, and plenty of Cava. The buttermilk produces a lighter crumb than you would expect from something so deeply coloured, and the cacao nibs and poppyseeds provide a pleasant contrasting crunch.

*Christmas Eve paella is a tradition in my family despite the fact that we are not Spanish and it is not a Spanish custom. It stems from our practice of eating various seafood dishes on Christmas Eve in the Italian tradition ("la festa dei sette pesci," or "la cena della vigilia," more accurately), but then again we are not Italian either...

BUCKWHEAT LEMON POPPYSEED MUFFINS WITH CACAO NIBS
Adapted from Martha Rose Schulman's recipe in The New York Times

TASTING NOTES:
The lemon flavour becomes more pronounced as the muffins sit, so you may want to zest just one lemon if you prefer a more subtle flavour /// I also make these with 1/4 cup chopped dried figs or dates, 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, and orange zest instead of lemon

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3/4 cup gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup mild oil (I used canola oil)
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 organic, unwaxed lemons, zested
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1/4 cup cacao nibs
demerara sugar, to top muffins

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Lightly oil the muffin tin or use paper muffin cups to line the tin. Sift the dry ingredients together (flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Beat the eggs with the oil and honey, then beat in the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. (Use the measuring cup for the oil first, then the honey, so that the honey pours out easily.) Stir in the flour mixture, then the poppyseeds and cacao nibs. Divide the batter among the cups in a muffin tin, then sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Serves: 12
Time to Table: 40 minutes
Equipment: 12 cup muffin tin, measuring cups, fine mesh sieve, electric mixer or whisk, two medium bowls, rubber spatula or wooden spoon