Sunday, February 18, 2007

Date and coconut muffins

I had some buttermilk that was about to expire and an unopened bag of dates in the pantry that I bought for baking purposes. Dates and coconut are both really sweet, so I made a muffin base that doesn't contain that much sugar. The end result is a muffin that's not overwhelmingly sweet. Use freshly grated nutmeg if you can, it makes a big difference.

Date and Coconut Muffins
Makes 1 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup vanilla sugar (you can also use regular granulated sugar)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dates, coarsely chopped
1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and dates in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk and next 6 ingredients (buttermilk through egg) in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle the tops evenly with the coarse sugar. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove muffins from pan; cool on a wire rack.

1 comment:

Freya said...

Delicious! And the fresh Nutmeg really does make all the difference doesn't it?
Lovely blog by the way!