Day 339.
Today’s This Week’s Cravings theme is Christmas Baking: Sweets, Treats, Candy and Gift Ideas. I decided I wanted to do cranberry and pistachio muffins for the red and green Christmas theme. And, since I had about 1/4 cup pumpkin puree left in the fridge, I decided to make the recipe vegan. I found a really delicious-sounding recipe at a new-to-me site of a German woman, Meeta, of Indian descent, called What’s for Lunch Honey. So, I converted the recipe to the U.S. system, veganized it and reduce the sugar a bit to come up with this Christmastime treat.
Dry:
- 2.5 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger, ground
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground (I didn’t have ground, so I cracked open 2 pods and ground the contents with a mortar and pestle)
Wet:
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup mock buttermilk (2 teaspoons lemon juice and remainder of 3/4 cup of soy milk)*
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree or other egg substitute*
Fold-ins:
- 1 cup dry cranberries, reconstituted
- 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pistachios, coarsely chopped
*Note: Want to make it vegetarian? Use 1 large egg, whisked lightly, instead of pumpkin puree and milk instead of soy milk.
Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Line or spray a 12-cup muffin tin. Place cranberries in a bowl, add boiling water and cover. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Drain well.
Mix mock buttermilk and let stand for 5 minutes.
Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients into dry, until just combined. Fold in cranberries and pistachios.
Mix topping.
Divide batter among muffin cups and top with topping.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
I absolutely love the flavors in these muffins. The pistachios and cranberries are a treat. I also had a bit of cashew in mine (I was a little short on pistachios), and those went well, too. The texture of the muffin is a little bit chewier than I’m used to right out of the oven, more like a hearty bread, but I really enjoyed that difference.
The party has a few SIMPLE RULES and all of the themes for the entire year are list here on the THIS WEEK’S CRAVINGS tab at Moms Crazy Cooking. Plan ahead, check out the weeks you want to make sure to link up or just browse them to see what’s going on.This Week’s Cravings Upcoming Linky “THEMES”
Here is a complete list of the past and what’s coming up next on THIS WEEK’S CRAVINGS!
- December 12 – Christmas Appetizers and Party Platters
- December 19 – Christmas Dinners and Holiday Food Traditions
- December 26 – Macaroni and Cheese
- January 2 – Let’s Get Healthy… Healthy Meals and Snacks
If you are a regular link-up we’re excited to see what you made this week. If you are new please read and follow the simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don’t feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!
This post is shared at·Mouthwatering Mondays, My Meatless Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, On the Menu Monday, Cravings, Just Another Meatless Monday,·Homemaker Monday.·Meatless Mondays,·Mingle Monday, MMMmonday, Mangia Monday,Make a Food-e Friend, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made By You Mondays and Monday Mania.
I have a real weakness for pistachios, and cashews as well! These muffins sound lovely. I've shared my Aunt Dorothy's Butterscotch Squares – no bake and so quick to make, they are perfect for giving. Thank you for hosting!
Sounds delicious, April, thanks for sharing!
Hi Kristi, Love the new format for Mondays. I'm sharing a recipe for Lemon Cheesecake. Have a great week.
Hi Kristi, I actually got here on Monday. Usually, I am late. I love the muffins and I hope you like the cookies and pie, I shared.
I love pistachios! I shared my Chocolate Mint Brownies this week
@France I'm so glad you like the new format. ANd mmm….lemon cheesecake sounds fantastic.@Chaya I'm glad to have you whenever you get here! But I'm so glad you made it on Monday. @Laura I love mint chocolate chip ice cream, but I've never had chocolate mint brownies. Definitely something I should try. Thanks all for sharing!