Ginger Poppy Seed Scones

so i found an unopened bottle of poppy seeds in our freezer last night and got a bee in my bonnet to make muffins. the recipe below was for Lemon Poppy Seed muffins, but alas and alack, we have no lemons and they turned out really to be much more scones than muffins. fine with us, i've never made scones before and it was very easy. so here ya go:

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

From Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
25 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
12 muffins

Ingredients

* 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
* 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
* 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins, if desired
* 2 large eggs, at room temperature
* 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
* 1/2 cup milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-cup muffin tin with butter and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Take care not to overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Cook's Note: Poppy seeds can go rancid easily and should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

* Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Jocelyn's Note: I changed the lemon zest to the same amount of grated ginger, which was nearly imperceptable as a flavor to me, but i'm sure it added something to the overall flavor. i would use lemon zest if i had it. I also used much more sugar on the tops, a large three-finer pinch-full.

Photo Credit: Elise Bauer's Simply Recipes website