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.

My mom also includes sesame seeds, which I adore — their toasty, nutty savoriness is something special in this bread. It adds an unexpected dimension. But not everyone loves sesame, I know, so I call it optional here.

The secret to her bread (and the muffins) is the syrup. It’s cheating, sort of: you make a lemony batter to bake, but then you pour on a sunny syrup that soaks into each muffin. This leaves the tops glazed and shiny, and the muffins are oozing with lemon all the way down. They’re soft, fluffy, and full of lemon, and you don’t even need the mixer. That’s what I call award-winning.

Some days we just need something cheery for breakfast, something easy yet bright and tart. These muffins are a favorite way to welcome the sun, whether you can see it through the clouds or not.