cranberry pistachio spiced muffins
I used to make these just at Christmas because of their pretty combination of red and green, but they proved so popular in my house that I now make them year-round. When buying cranberries, try to find an unsweetened or naturally sweetened brand. I buy cranberries infused with apple juice and free from artificial sweeteners.
If you can’t source wholemeal self-raising flour, regular self-raising is fine.
Ingredients
100g (2/3 cup) dried cranberries
1 egg
170g (3/4 cup) macadamia oil or light olive oil
250g (1 cup) milk
75g (1/2 cup) shelled pistachios
100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar (or rapadura sugar)
300g (2 cups) wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Butter, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and set aside.
2. Place cranberries into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside until needed (see Tips).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, oil and milk. Finely chop the pistachios and add to bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon for topping. Add sugar and cranberries. Sift in flour (returning any sifted out husks to the bowl) and spices, and mix until combined.
4. Divide mixture evenly between paper cases and sprinkle with reserved pistachios. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of each muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool further. Serve muffins with butter (optional).
Tips
To ensure your cranberries are thoroughly drained, you may like to drain them on paper towel for a few minutes.
Variation
Thermomix method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases and set aside.
2. Place a bowl onto mixing bowl lid and weigh cranberries and 300g boiling water into it. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Drain cranberries well and set aside until needed (see Tips).
3. Place pistachios into mixing bowl and chop 13 sec/speed 7. Transfer 1 tablespoon into a small bowl and set aside.
4. Add egg, oil, milk, sugar and drained cranberries and combine 10 sec/Reverse/speed 3.
5. Add flour and spices and mix 20 sec/Reverse/speed 3, until combined. Divide mixture evenly between paper cases. Sprinkle with reserved chopped pistachios, then bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool further. Serve muffins with butter (optional).
