Yeah, I know how that sounds.


Rest assured, this recipe results in nice fluffy, crumbly muffins. Not the hard as rock variety the name connotes.


Instead of a doorstop, picture a nice basket of freshly baked muffins, loosely packed in a gingham towel, sitting on your doorstep. There we go. Now we’re on the same page.

And, if you can…
go a step further. Instead of picturing your own home, picture a little rock cottage.
Made of rugged, rough stones with stripped tree trunks for columns.
In the middle of the Texas Hill Country.
Rolling hills and live oak trees.
At the bottom of the hill runs a small little stream, and yeah, you’re right…those are longhorns by the post wire fence.



But, there…
on the doorstep of the little stone cottage in the middle of the Texas Hill Country is that basket of warm, freshly baked muffins.
They’re perfect after yesterday’s trek through Texas Wine Country. After a night of wine and gossiping with girlfriends. It feels so magical to wake up and have warm muffins waiting for you by the front door.

Are they lemon poppy seed?
No…it’s something else…
Almond?
Yeah. Definitely almond. And about a pound of butter. Oh my god…


And, so you each grab a muffin and take a morning stroll. Down the hill. By the stream. Past the longhorns by the post wire fence.
It’s so peaceful.
And…perfect.

It’s so perfect that you can’t stop thinking about it when you get home. You want to bake those muffins to relive that perfect moment.


Did you get the recipe?
No? Did you?
No…


And then.
Two years later.
Here’s that recipe. I found it.


And, what do you do?
You follow that recipe.
You relive that perfect morning after a day of trekking through the Texas Wine Country. You remember that night of wine and gossiping with amazing girlfriends.
You bake those almond-not lemon-muffins.
You wrap them in a towel (pink this time, not gingham) and place them in a basket.
And, you leave them on a girlfriend’s doorstep.

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

From The Barn at the Quarry
2 Cups of flour
1 Cup sugar
2 Tsp baking powder
¼ Tsp salt
2 Tbl poppy seeds
2 Large eggs, beaten
1 Cup heavy cream
½ Cup Canola oil
½ Tsp almond extract
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking
powder, salt, sugar, poppy seeds. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat
eggs and cream. Stir in oil and almond extract. Combine the ingredients
from both bowls into the larger bowl and mix just until blended. Fill the
prepared cups three fourths full. Top with sliced almonds. Bake until the
tops spring back when touched lightly or a knife inserted comes out clean,
15-18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.