Sometimes new recipes are born out necessity. In this case, the need to use up a large bag of gigantic sweet Bing cherries and some almond flour that's been sitting in the freezer forever. I'm not one to waste food, so I actually enjoy the challenges of Iron Chef-ing it sometimes to see what I can come up with. It's usually a win-win: food gets used up, and since I've repurposed it into something new, it doesn't feel like stale leftovers.
So that's how these beauties came to life. These easy (seriously, just mix with a spatula) muffins are filled with tons of cherries, and I've replaced some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour to make them more justifiable to eat for breakfast. While I like almond extract here since it pairs well with cherries, you can use vanilla instead, and you can also sub in cream for the milk if you want to make these super-tender and rich. To quote one of Sophie's favorite children's books: "Yum, yum, extra yum." (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)
So that's how these beauties came to life. These easy (seriously, just mix with a spatula) muffins are filled with tons of cherries, and I've replaced some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour to make them more justifiable to eat for breakfast. While I like almond extract here since it pairs well with cherries, you can use vanilla instead, and you can also sub in cream for the milk if you want to make these super-tender and rich. To quote one of Sophie's favorite children's books: "Yum, yum, extra yum." (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)
CHERRY ALMOND MUFFINS
| Makes: 12 muffins Total Time: 35 minutes Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | What to Buy: Thawed frozen sweet cherries can be used in this recipe. Nice to Know: These muffins freeze well! |
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour or almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and slightly cooled, plus more for coating the muffin pan if needed
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups medium dice sweet cherries, thawed if frozen
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour or almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and slightly cooled, plus more for coating the muffin pan if needed
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups medium dice sweet cherries, thawed if frozen
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place cupcake liners in a 12-well muffin pan; alternatively, coat the wells with butter or cooking spray. Set the pan aside.
- Whisk together the flour, almond flour or meal, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to break up any lumps and aerate the mixture; set aside.
- Whisk together the sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs, and almond or vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Add this and the cherries to the flour mixture and stir until just evenly mixed (a few lumps will remain), about 30 strokes. (Do not overmix; the batter should be thick, but the ingredients should be evenly incorporated.)
- Divide the batter among the muffin wells. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve.
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