Muffin Monday Part Deux- Red Currant and Pistachio Muffins

Well hello again folks. I am back with another muffin recipe for you. I was on a baking binge this weekend. Baking over load. Baking coma. But I had so much fun. I promise not to attack any food network stars in this post. Even if they had it coming. I shall behave and not go on and on and on....wait, what was I saying. Oh ya, on and on and on. Seriously now, you must know me by now. Me miss an opportunity for a little silly, I think not. Seize the day, seize the moment, seize these muffins!

Well not that one! That one is mine! All mine!

So I went out on a limb on this one. Not sure this combo is widely used. But I bought the currants and was driving myself mad trying to decide what to make. I didn't want to do jam or jelly. Salad is good with them but again I wanted to try something a bit different. So I thought I'd take a chance. I was doing blueberry muffins anyway so I thought what the heck I'll try a muffin with red currants. They are tart yet somehow sweet. I think of them as having some kick or bite to them. So I needed something to offset that. So when you want to balance some sweet you add some salty goodness. This made me immediately think of pistachios. But then again almost anything can make me think of pistachios. They really are my fave thing in the whole wide world to eat. I have a ton of fave dishes but when I think of the one food I'd want to have if I was stranded on a deserted island it would be pistachios. Second would be coconut but that's a whole different post. If I could figure out a way to add them to every dish I would. They are just yummy, and I find they add some elegance to almost any dish. I questioned my sanity but I really do love to experiment in the kitchen. If it doesn't work out, well it doesn't work out. You'll never know unless you try. So I tried. And I thought it was an overwhelming success. I love them. The combination is just lovely. About the only thing I would change is I would grind pistachios in with the sugar topping. Then they would have been perfect. So the next time I make them I must remember to crush some pistachios for the top. I hope you do, crushed pistachios are almost as good as whole pistachios. Okay so somehow I have managed to talk more about the pistachios than the currants. Not cool. The currants are the star and the pistachios are the supporting character. I wish I had kept some extra currants for the picture taking. But I used them all in the muffins. The just look so pretty. Not only do they taste amazing which I love, but they are pretty while tasting amazing. They just kind of burst in your mouth. A taste explosion. It's nice with the explosion of the currants working with the crunch of the pistachios. I'm telling you, this is a winner. I really hope you try them out. And love them.

So on to the recipe. Which is what you came for. Not the ramblings of a lunatic. That's just an added bonus. "You're welcome". *giggles uncontrollably*

Red Currant and Pistachio Muffins:


Source- I took Paula Deen's blueberry muffin recipe and changed some stuff including the fruit,lol


Ingredients:


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups red currants
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Optional- sugar topping (take 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 demerara sugar and mix them)

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or line your  muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.

Combine butter, milk and egg in another bowl and stir well.

Now slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold them in. It's okay if there is a few lumps in the batter. Do not over mix it.

Spoon batter into muffin tins until 2/3 full.

Sprinkle sugar over top.

Place in oven and cook for 20 -25 minutes.

*if worried about sugar over browning lay parchment over muffins for the last few minutes of baking*

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Pop them out of the tins.

Serve with a smile.

Yes I have been playing with my camera again. Lol!

Hope you enjoyed this one and try this out. So good. I just love a muffin with a taste explosion! Explode some yourself soon.

Toodles and smoochies. xx