August has been a stressful month for me, so I was glad to finally have an opportunity to take a break and make some muffins. Hot Mormon muffins! Specifically "Latter-Day Lemon," presented by Yayoi, mother of 2 and looking good at 53. Click photos to enlarge.
The necessities:
I grew up in a house with no food processor, but with a beloved and much-used mortar and pestle. I still like to use mine (I have three) for small quantities or when I want to get a little more interactive with my ingredients. There's something enticingly primal about crushing food with your hands and a blunt instrument! In this case I couldn't find any pre-chopped almonds, so I bought the slivered variety and broke them into smaller pieces.
Nutmeg and flour:
Lemon zest and sugar:
Free-range (and organic) eggs always have such richly coloured yolks. How eggs should be.
Fresh out of the oven:
Looks good enough to eat!
Yayoi's Latter-Day Lemon Muffins
[My notes/changes in brackets. Also, the instructions left much to be desired, so I've rewritten them.]
[Topping]
6 tbs chopped almonds
3 tbs sugar
Muffin
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups [all-purpose] flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 cup [granulated] sugar
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
2 eggs [slightly beaten]
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
3 tbs lemon juice
[The original instructions basically said to dump everything into the bowl all at once and mix. You can try that but I don't recommend it. Instead:]
In a small bowl mix chopped almonds and 3 tbs sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl thoroughly combine flour, nutmeg, and baking powder. In a medium bowl mix together until combined 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest, eggs, oil, milk, and lemon juice. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups (greased/lined). Sprinkle reserved almond-sugar mixture (about 1 tsp per muffin) on top.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins
My verdict: This recipe makes smallish, dense muffins with a light, fresh lemon flavour well-complemented by the almonds and nutmeg. If you like a stronger lemon flavour, you might want to add a bit of lemon extract (maybe 1/4 tsp). If you're not a big fan of nutmeg, use half as much or switch to cinnamon instead. Although the topping is nice and crunchy, I think it could use another element. Next time I'll try mixing the nuts and sugar with 2-3 tbs of melted butter. You can never go wrong with butter!
Want more Hot Mormon Muffins (and really, who doesn't)? Check out my previous posts:
January: Easy Banana-Praline Muffins
February: Raspberry Muffins
March: Marmalade Muffins
April: Cinnamon-Nut Streusel Muffins
May: Zesty Zucchini Muffins
June: Seven Grains Muffins
July: Blueberry Muffins
Photos by Whimsy Bower
[Edited to update title, links, and for formatting. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
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