October 16, 2011

Clementine Date Muffins for Muffin Monday


I am happy to welcome another week with these Clementine Date Muffins.

Just lightly-sweetened muffins filled with chopped dates and cashews, perfumed with zest of clementines. Freshly-squeezed juice along with yogurt and just a little bit of butter gives these muffins a tender and moist crumb. Surprisingly not a dense loaf I was expecting which I usually think of dates in baked goods.

Cinnamon in the batter gives them an extra spicy flavor with the option of adding cinnamon sugar topping. I opted to add sanding sugar for the sparkle. :)


Please click on over The Baker Street  for the original recipe and other variations from the rest of the Muffin Monday Bakers.

Clementine Date Muffins
makes a dozen regular-sized muffins
120g (1 cup) white whole wheat flour
120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
96g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar
10g (2 tsp) baking powder
3g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
3g (1/2 tsp) salt
2g (1/2 tsp) cinnamon
zest from 3 clementines, finely grated (or up to 2 tsp)
80g (1/3 cup) freshly-squeezed clementine juice
56g (1/4 cup) butter, melted and cooled
160g (2/3 cup) plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 large egg, room temperature
90g (2/3 cup) dates, chopped
80g (2/3 cup) cashews, chopped
sparkling sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Prepare muffin tins by greasing cups or using liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon until well-combined.
In a medium bowl, combine orange juice, butter, yogurt and egg.
Add wet mixture into dry ingredients. Quickly stir until just combined.
Fold in dates and cashews.
Place into prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle tops with sparkling sugar.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.
Remove and let cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Take muffins out of pan and serve.

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

12 comments:

Baker Street said...

Clementine, dates and whole wheat flour! All excellent choices! I love your picture!

Let Me Eat Cake said...

i really expected these to be dense as well and was pleasantly surprised when they were tender and fluffy! and i LOVE clementines :) happy muffin monday!

bianca @ southbayrantsnraves said...

I think you win for best presentation! I think I'll add cinnamon to the batter next time to kick it up. Loved that you used clementines. Probably enhanced the sweetness!

Stay At Home Chef said...

Cashews! I love how each week you seem to throw in an unexpected ingredient I would have never thought of but which I immediately want to go and make :) Love your culinary creativity!

Aimee White said...

Love the combination of clementine and cranberry, as well as your mix of nuts! You described them so beautifully!

Love those sparkly tops :)

elena @3greenonions said...

clementines beat oranges in my world any day! too bad I didn't think to use them:( I bet these tasted great with the cashews too..

Unknown said...

Great muffin recipe.

Tangled Noodle said...

These would make a perfect breakfast - chockfull of good stuff like dates and cashews! Of course, the husband would probably eat them just about any time of day. 8-)

Sin-A-Mon (Monika) said...

Love the first picture... totally enjoyed making these too

Annapet said...

Your three boys are so lucky their mom is a gifted baker!

I love clementines, too!

Betty Ann @Mango_Queen said...

Whoa, Caroline...this is another winner! Love the flavors here...clementine and dates ! I can just imagine the aroma...yummmy!

Ana said...

Just found your blog this morning when looking for a clementine muffin recipe. I am Brazilian (and married to one too! haha!) and live in the US.
The muffins turned out perfect.I didn't add the cashews because I didn't have them, and no dates because I am not a fan, but the clementine flavor came through to nicely, and the muffins were fluffy and delicious!
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I bake muffins every week for my husband, he eats 2 for breakfast every single day. So I will be stopping by your blog to learn more about your recipes for sure!
Ana

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