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| Dried Fruit and Cashew Nuts Muffins (Photo credit: joana hard) |
Sweet, chewy, dried figs are among the fruits favored for use in baking recipes. Choose either the pale Calimyrna, the most common variety found dried, or the dark purple, Black Mission fig. Dried whole figs tend to be very stiff because the drying process needs to permeate the entire fruit; therefore, softening them first is important to the texture of the finished muffins. Here, the figs are macerated in hot apple juice so they turn a lovely mahogany color and give oil an enticing perfume.
Perfume your Dried Fig Muffins to the lasting scent and goodness of dried figs added to it. With its scent alone, no one can resist tasting your muffins again and again.
DRIED FIG MUFFINS
You will need:
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) apple juice
6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
12 oz (375 g) dried figs, stemmed and quartered
Grated zest of 1 large orange
2 cups (10 oz/315 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (essence)
Here's how:
In a small saucepan, heat the apple juice and butter over medium-low heat until the butter is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the figs and orange zest. Set aside until the mixture is room temperature and the figs are softened, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 11 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners; fill the unused cup one-third full with water to prevent warping.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the cooled fig mixture, eggs, and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup.
Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let cool completely. Serve them at room temperature.
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