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Tart Cherry and Almond Muffins

Source of Recipe

From "Sunday Brunch" by Betty Rosbottom


Recipe Introduction

"Bursting with multiple flavors of cherry, orange, and almond, these muffins are especially moist and turn a beautiful golden brown as they bake. A generous amount of almond paste keeps them from becoming dry, while the dried cherries and orange juice provide tart and sweet notes."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept hot, plus more for the pans
â—¦ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
â—¦ 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
â—¦ ¾ cup dried tart cherries
â—¦ ½ cup sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ One 7-ounce package almond paste, crumbled
â—¦ 3 eggs
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons grated orange zest


Recipe

Arrange a rack at center position and preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter and flour the cups of a standard-size muffin pan using a baking spray, or line them with paper cup liners. Depending on the size of your muffin tins (they can vary from â…“- to ½-cup capacity), you may get 10 to 12 muffins from the batter.

Bring the orange juice to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the cherries; let stand until softened, about 10 minutes.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the almond paste and melted butter in a large bowl until well blended (the mixture will still have some small pieces of almond paste). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the cherry mixture and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean but slightly moist to the touch, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

The muffins can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool and wrap the muffins in foil and store at room temperature. Rewarm in the foil in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes.

Makes 10 to 12 muffins