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Cherry-Almond Muffins

By April 5, 2017No Comments

CHERRY-ALMOND MUFFINS (PASSOVER-FRIENDLY)

In the 22 hours since I posted yesterday’s Mini Banana Almond Muffins, the response has been so overwhelming (mainly in person in the halls of my kids’ school) that I felt compelled to test and post another grain-free muffin recipe. I have had this one brewing for a while, but theory is always different than practice and it could have been terrible. It wasn’t. Here is another great breakfast recipe that will get you through the Passover breakfast doldrums.

Again, I went with almond flour because that’s what I had open in my cabinet at time of recipe testing. Also, because I had decided I wanted to do a cherry-almond muffin. The two flavors are so beautiful together.  You can absolutely swap out the almond meal for any other nut meal, and swap out the cherries for any other fruit. If you decide to use frozen berries – a huge budget saver as well as a great way to fill an out-of-season craving — put the frozen berries right into the batter. No need to thaw. If you use cherries, cut them into quarters and make sure the pits have been removed. You don’t want a surprise trip to the dentist.

After this, I will be returning to cakes, cookies and other dessert items. I have a couple of treats up my sleeve – including a Passover-friendly birthday cake for my almost 8-year-old son (who has the misfortune of having his birthday fall smack in the middle of the holiday), so chocolate cake is brewing! I am also dreaming up a replacement for my father’s nostalgia-inducing but cloyingly sweet jelly roll, which I would NEVER thrust upon all of you. I am SO close on that one. I just need to get the roll to not fall apart. The (not jelly) filling is AMAZING, and is barely making it from the jar to the pastry.

But, for now, breakfast.

 

CHERRY-ALMOND MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:
2½ cups (240g) almond meal (or any nut meal you have around)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or the scraped insides of one vanilla bean
½ cup (125g) unsweetened applesauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups (135g) cherries (or other berry), fresh or frozen
Sliced almonds (for sprinkling)

DIRECTIONS

  1. PREHEAT AND PREP: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or simply spray down each cavity with baking spray.
  2. MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: Whisk almond meal and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. WHIP EGG YOLKS: Beat egg yolks, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and thick, and it falls from the whip/beaters in a thick ribbon.
  4. ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: Add almond meal mixture and applesauce and stir just to combine.
  5. WHIP EGG WHITES: Using electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold half of egg white mixture into almond meal mixture, then fold in remaining egg white mixture.
  6. ADD BERRIES: Gently fold in berries.
  7. PORTION AND BAKE: Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake until tops are golden brown and a tester comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. Err towards more-baked otherwise the texture of the muffin tends to mushy. Cool in the pan 10 minutes.