Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 12 medium muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Set aside.
Grate the rind from the lemons (4 teaspoons) and squeeze the juice (1/2 cup). Set aside.
Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and lemon rind. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Stirring by hand, alternately add the flour mixture and lemon juice to sugar mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and almonds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned. Let stand 3 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Makes 12 muffins.
Quick Tip
Muffins, like quick breads, become tough if they are overmixed. Combine the ingredients just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
To freeze muffins, wrap tightly in heavy foil or place in freezer bags and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat frozen muffins, wrap in heavy foil. Heat in a 300°F oven 15-18 minutes for medium muffins.