I sincerely hope you are ALL enjoying this Christmas season, taking a moment as often as you can to savor the things you are doing…..not JUST rush through them so you can go on to the next thing, I know IT IS hard. Take a moment to enjoy the awesomeness of Christmas.
I wish you all a very Blessed Christmas!
High fives ALL AROUND for the 1st day of Winter!!! (Am I high-fiving myself or are there ANY other winter fans out there!??!? Come on, the hot chocolate, shoveling, dragging sleds around, scarves and mittens, dorky robes, candles…..fun stuff.)
AT least it resembles winter outside finally with the ice/wind/chill/miniscule about of snow on the ground! No shoveling….YET!
Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
The flavor of almond will ALWAYS remind me of the holidays, though I do not strictly make almondy things only around the holidays. These muffins are one of my favorites.
*As you can see, about 1/2 of the muffins I just simply sprinkled with sugar and topped with a few sliced almonds ~ and the other half of the muffins I sprinkled with almonds, then drizzled with a glaze. I wanted you to see that you could go either route. (We prefer to top the muffins with a glaze.)
* My kids are not keen on having the almonds on top. If that would be the same in your house, if someone would rather not eat them, just leave off. There is STILL plenty of almond flavor to be had.
* My addition to this recipe is the shredded Almond Paste, that is however, an optional ingredient if you would prefer to just leave it out. I just think it really amps up the almond flavor and makes the muffins SO good. It can be rather expensive, but I have quite a few recipes that use that ingredient and it. is. just. really. good. So for me it is worth it to have on hand. My friend researched the price a bit this year and found the BEST place to buy it is GFS and it comes in a 7 lb. tub ~ just as a warning it will probably around $37….I KNOW, sorry.
* NOTE * I need to follow my own advice a little better here * Using PURE Almond extract is so so so much better than imitation…..the flavor it so much stronger. (I know it is more expensive….it might just make my Christmas wish list this year…….)
* This recipe will yield about 10-12 muffins.
Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. milk
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 TB. poppy seeds
1/4 lb. shredded Almond Paste (maybe about a heaping 1/2 c.)(optional)
sugar (optional topping)
sliced almonds (optional topping)
*powdered sugar glaze (optional topping, directions below)
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray muffin tins with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the sugar, oil, egg and almond extract. Beat in the sour cream and milk with a spoon until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and poppy seeds until well blended. Fold in the Almond Paste. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar (if going that route) and almonds (if going that route). Bake @ 350° for about 16-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and drizzle with * powdered sugar glaze.
* Optional Powdered Sugar Glaze.
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp – 3 tsp. milk
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Stir together to get a nice smooth consistency, then drizzle over your muffins.
Enjoy!
This recipe came from Lori, with my slight changes.
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