Cherry Almond Muffins
Happy Friday! I have been in the “it’s too hot to cook” cooking rut all week long. UGH. We have been experiencing record high temps in the high 90s and 100 in SoCal. This is the hottest summer weather that I can remember in a long time. We even experienced an earthquake or two in the past week and I always blame the hot weather when they occur. Those of you that experience higher temperatures than 100 degrees especially in the east coast…I madly respect you! I can’t deal well with these dry heat and sometimes humid days. Most times I plan meals that do not use the oven but the very thought of preparing a meal on the gas stove or on our grill gave me a sweaty headache just thinking about it. I even debated lying down on my tile floor next to the fan to keep cool. We do have the air conditioner running but at a controlled temperature of 80 degrees.
I was lucky enough to bake these easy to prepare delicious cherry almond muffins before the ugly heatwave. These gorgeous breakfast muffins were a must-eat during my summer love of cherry eating. Plus, it was the opportune time to use my OXO cherry pitter to prepare these muffins. Make these in the early morning before the heat wave attacks or late at night when you have time to unwind with some kitchen baking.
Perfect for breakfast!
Cherry Almond Muffins
Adapted from Carrie’s Sweet Life
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Turbinado sugar, for topping
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with desired paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and almond extract. Mix until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Fold in the cherries and nutmeg. Scoop 1/3 cup of the muffin mixture evenly into the muffin pans. Garnish with turbinado sugar on top of the muffins. Bake in the oven for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in muffin tin for at least 5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. Store muffins in an airtight container for at least 3 days.
Yield: 12 to 16 muffins
Review: Simply scrumptious. This reminds me of my favorite cherry almond scones that I used to enjoy at my college coffeeshop, but in muffin form. Very moist and a great way to sneak in those succulent cherries.
