Toasted Almond & Dried Cherry Muffins
Almonds and cherries are a classic combination that makes a fabulous muffin.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup dried Montmorency cherries or other dried sour cherries
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- additional almonds for decoration optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour or line 12 wells in a muffin tin. Set aside.
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the 1/4 almonds until lightly browned. Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl or blow of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat in the yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in the cherries and nuts. Evenly divide the batter into the 12 wells of the muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center muffin comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the muffins and serve or continue to cool.
I actually made this muffin over the summer when I was a little low on fresh ingredients. I saved it because it seemed silly to post a recipe using dried cherries when fresh cherries were readily available. Now cherry season is, sadly, a mere memory. Like all muffin recipes it’s very simple to make but I did add one extra step–toasting the almonds in a dry skillet–that I hope you don’t skip. It really adds a warm, toasty flavor to the muffins that pairs wonderfully with the tart dried cherries. I used vanilla yogurt and vanilla extract because we like vanilla and it’s what I had on hand but plain yogurt would be fine as well.
