It’s Tuesday again and we have another recipe that I probably would have never made on my own. I’m not sure if anyone else has this type of issue. I’ve noticed that when it comes to certain ingredients it’s hard for me to think outside the box. Apple = Pie. Raisins = Babka or Oatmeal Cookies. Peanut Butter = Sandwiches or Reese’s Cups. Pumpkin = Pie or Bread. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fascist when it comes to baking. These equations are instinctive inclinations when I happen to think about certain ingredients. I do bake outside of my instinctual box. I just don’t think muffin immediately when I hear pumpkin. Don’t ask me why. Maybe some psychologist could do a study. Instead of fight or flight, it would be Pumpkin equals Pie or Muffin and what the answer says about humanity. HA!
As I said, not a first choice recipe for me. But thanks to Dorie, we have another pleasantly surprising experience. One thing I will note, no raisins for me. I guess I misspoke when I said I wasn’t a fascist in the kitchen. When it comes to raisins, I kinda am. Not only do I have raisins in select items only, but…well…I can’t remember when I last had a golden raisin. Decades to be sure. I know, I know, I need to step on the wild side and give them a try again. All right. The next recipe that includes golden raisins I’ll give it a try, I promise.
Another change I made was no sunflower seeds. The reasoning for this is less emotionally charged – I just couldn’t find any. I could only find those black and white, salted behemoths. Actually I have the toughest, excuse me, an impossible time trying to find certain nuts in an unsalted state. First it was pistachios, now sunflower seeds. I’m really surprised by this because tons of people have blood pressure issues, and salt is not their friend. If anyone can point me to a reasonable (meaning cheap) supplier of unsalted nuts, I’d love you forever.
So instead of sunflower seeds I just plopped a pecan half on the top of each. I also sprinkled a bit of coarse sugar on top because in case you haven’t noticed, I like things sweet. They came out quite tasty and I will be definitely making these again. One thing to note if you do decide to make these, you MUST eat one right after they get out of the oven (obviously wait for them to cool a bit so they don’t burn your mouth). Don’t wait a couple of hours, or until the next day. They are fabulous when they are still warm inside. Yum!
A couple I made without the sprinkled sugar
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
if you have a Trader Joes grocery store nearby they have a good stock of nuts, both salted and unsalted. i buy unsalted sunflower seeds there.
now where can i get coarse sugar reliably and affordably?
I love Trader Joe’s! I wish there was one in Florida. I used to live in California, that’s how I got to know them. There’s really nothing like that here unfortunately.
I can tell you a pretty affordable place to get that coarse sugar I used. Believe it or not, Walmart. I really try not to shop there too much, mainly because I just like to patron smaller businesses when I can. I ended up going there because I couldn’t find a nice white decorative sugar anywhere. I found every other color under the sun, but no white. I finally went to Walmart on a lark, and what’d ya know, there it was. I found a huge 8 ounce bottle of Wilton Sprinkles White Sparkling Sugar. Unfortunately I can’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I know it was a good price.
Check back here because I plan on doing a post about getting cheap baking supplies like sanding sugars, dragees, edible glitter, etc in the coming weeks. I was on a virtually nonexistent budget before the economy took a nosedive, so I have to really shop around.
Your muffins look great! I am planning on taking a trip to Walmart for baking supplies, looking forward to your post about cheap ones. I buy all my spices, nuts, teas and dried fruits at my local health food store. They have a bulk section that is cheaper than the market. I can buy as little or as much as I need and most of it is also organic.
I love both photos but my favorite is the sugared muffin one.
Like you I was pleasantly surprised by these muffins!! Your pictures are great!
Reeni,
Thanks! Yeah, check out Walmart because they have a bunch of decorating supplies. The only other place I’ve been able to find a good selection of baking sugars is Joann’s or Michael’s. If you sign up to be on Joann’s mailing list you should get at least two coupons a month for 40-50% off of one item, so you can get some good deals there too. I’m not sure if Michael’s offers the same kind of coupons. I never looked. Yeah, check back because I do have a few other ideas on getting cheap supplies. As for nuts, I’ll have to see if I have a local health food store. (HA) I’m kind of in the sticks. Thanks for the tip though!
Amber,
Thanks, the sugared taste best too. I think I might add both a sanding and coarse sugar to the tops next time. Thanks for your comment!
Marthe,
Thanks on the pictures. I’m a total photography newbie, and have really been trying to get the hang of using my camera as well as editing the photos later. Color correction as well as exposure levels are a PAIN for me. Half the time I’m not sure if I’m actually correcting anything at all. Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, I totally didn’t expect to eat more than one and leave the rest to my family, but I’ve had…a few