Copycat Costco Almond Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe

Few things are as satisfying for a baked goods lover than taking a stroll through Costco's bakery section. From giant boxes of buttery croissants and huge tiramisu cakes — oh, and don't forget the delicious cookies. There's a treat for everyone.

And while Costco is certainly known for its huge assortment of giant baked goods, few items compare to the popularity of those moist and delicious mega boxes of muffins. Sure, the muffins are dished up in cardboard boxes, but that doesn't deter anyone. From double chocolate chip, to blueberry, to coffee cake, the flavors are incredibly tasty. But for many diehard muffin fans, nothing compares to Costco's giant almond poppy seed muffins.

What if you could make these jumbo muffins on your own at home from scratch? Costco keeps its ingredients list pretty close to the chest, but making a replica of these tasty almond-forward muffins is possible. And now, we have the perfect recipe for you to whip up copycat Costco muffins in less than 30 minutes.

For this almond poppyseed muffin recipe, you'll need ½ cup of white sugar, ½ cup of brown sugar, 1 ½ cups of flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, ¾ cup of milk, ⅓ cup of oil, 2 tablespoons of pure almond extract, and 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds.

To make these jumbo muffins on your own at home, start by preheating the oven to 350 F. Let the oven come up to the proper temperature while you mix your muffin batter. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: the white sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine until the mixture is free of any large clumps before moving onto the next step.

Once the dry ingredients are combined nicely, it's time to add all of the wet ingredients to finish off the muffin batter. First, add in the two eggs, and mix. Then, add in the milk, mix well, and then add in the oil. Once the batter mixture starts to come together, add in the 2 tablespoons of pure almond extract and the 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds. Mix until the batter is fully formed, but be sure not to over-mix. Over-mixing the batter will result in a dull, dry muffin.

Once the batter is prepped and ready to go, it's time to bake the muffins. Prep a jumbo muffin pan with large paper liners. If you don't have paper liners, spray the pan generously with cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking. This recipe can also be baked in a regular sized 12-well muffin pan — you just won't get the same jumbo-sized Costco muffin experience.

Once the pan is prepped, use a measuring cup to scoop the batter into each well. Fill each well halfway full, and then place the pan in the oven. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown and the tops are fully set. Once they are finished baking, remove the muffins from the oven, and set aside to cool before enjoying.