Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Pistachios!

My husband really likes pistachio nuts, especially mixed in one of his favorite treats: pistachio ice cream. So when I saw this recipe in the April's issue of Cooking Light I immediately thought of him. Recipe was marked to try last month, but I only got to it this week. Oh boy, I keep joking, but my "to try" recipe list really seems endless!! :o)
It was a good thing I tried the recipe as the Husband seems to enjoy them a lot, plus these portable breakfast treats pack a good deal of nutrition with nuts, whole grains and flaxseeds added to it.
The muffins have a nice crumb and were very moist. I really liked how they tasted too; It is quite a simple flavor, but with a great nuttiness from the whole wheat flour and flax, both which I enjoy.
I added a few chopped pistachios to the batter, opposing what the recipe stated to just put them on top. Hey, it is a pistachio muffin, so I thought I might have some nuts inside too, right?!
We drizzled the ones we had for breakfast with yummy honey and both my husband and Matheus liked the muffins with the sticky top! I do prefer my muffins without the honey, but when they are warm the honey certainly add something more to them.
I froze the leftovers without honey so we could enjoy them for breakfast throughout the week (no way I would freeze sticky mess!). A little change of pace on the strawberry muffins we were having lately and it seems it was well accepted by all.
As I said, I really liked the batter and plan on trying it with other nuts and flavors added to it. Will sure report back when I do!
Enjoy!
Ana

Honey and Toasted Pistachio Muffins
(Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, April 2007)

1
cup whole wheat flour
1
cup all-purpose flour
1/4
cup flaxseed meal
1 1/4
teaspoons baking soda
1/8
teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2
cup packed brown sugar
2
tablespoons canola oil
2
large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4
cup golden raisins (I omitted them, didn't have the golden ones at home...)
3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
2
tablespoons honey (I didn't measure it, just drizzled on top of the ones we were eating!!!)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine flours, flaxmeal, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Mix together buttermilk, sugar, canola oil, and eggs; add to flour mixture and stir just until moist. Stir in golden raisins. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pistachios and bake for 15 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle honey over tops of the muffins.

7 comments:

Joe said...

We liked these too! The sticky honey was a great addition.

Akemi said...

Adorei estes muffins, Ana! Devem ser deliciosos, pistaches e mel??? Hummm!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Ana, you are the muffin queen! :)

These are fantastic - I keep wondering how fabulous pistachios are with honey.

Fer Guimaraes Rosa said...

Ana, AMEI esses muffins, porque tbm soy loca por pistachos! Vou fazer como voce e colocar as nuts na massa. E vou usar o golden syrup inves do mel, porque abri uma lata inteira pra usar uma colher de cha pros flapjacks e agora haja xarope!! :-)))

beijaoo,

Cláudia said...

Ana, onde você arruma tantas idéias, você deve publicar um livro só de muffins. Estão lindos e aposto deliciosos.

Cláudia B.

Cris said...

Ana, muffins com pistachios... hum, estou aqui viajando no sabor! Bjs!

Ana said...

Joe, the honey did add great flavor to them!

Akemi, ficaram gostosos mesmo viu Amiga!

Patricia, Thanks!!! I absolutely LOVE making and eating (of course) muffins! These are good!

Fe, fiquei super feliz de ver a receita em destaque la no Chucrute, que bom q vc gostou!!

Claudia, eu amo muffins, eh muito gostoso e facil de fazer, fora q da p/ criar as mais deliciosas combinacoes de sabores e texturas com eles!

Cris, foi a primeira vez q fiz, mas gostamos bastante!

Ana