Honey Kissed Baklava Muffins
/Apparently I’m preparing for a muffin party. Either that or I have lost my brain posting 2 muffin recipes in a row. Between the trials for Friday’s PB Chocolate Muffins for Two and now these beauties I have a pretty big stockpile of muffins on my hands.
No complaints here.
How many times will I say “muffin” in this post? Count so far: 4
The idea for this recipe actually stemmed from the Baklava Doughnuts that you will find in my cookbook! Those were a definite favorite recipe, and I couldn’t believe how much they reminded me of traditional baklava [minus the whole flaky, phyllo dough thing].
And while I absolutely love all of the components that make up real-deal baklava it was always a bit on the sweet side for me.
And when I say a bit I mean I feel like my teeth are going to fall out of my mouth when I eat it. But the amazing flavors would always lure me in for more.
The base muffin recipe stems from my Blueberry Crumb Muffins but instead of blueberries these are stuffed with pistachios and walnuts.
Honey was the obvious sweetener of choice and I used butter instead of oil to really try and achieve that traditional baklava flavor.
Fluffy and soft.
Hearty and wholesome.
Crunchy and sweet.
And now all the teeth can stay put in my mouth.
I originally attempted layering the “filling” mixture with the batter [shown below] but ultimately preferred folding the nut mixture into the batter for better distribution.
adapted from: blueberry crumb muffins [vegan version: here]
Baklava Muffins
gluten-free // yields 12-16 standard muffins
Muffins:
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 3/4 cup raw buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk, or soy, 2%, etc.
- 1/2 cup clover honey
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
Filling:
- 1 1/4 cups chopped unsalted pistachios and walnuts
- 3 tablespoons clover honey
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
- Honey to drizzle, about 1 teaspoon per muffin
- 1/3 cup chopped unsalted pistachios and walnuts
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
Preheat your oven to 350* F and line 1-2 standard muffin tins with 12-16 liners.
In a large bowl stir together the oat flour, buckwheat flour, almond meal, flax, cinnamon, powder, soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the eggs. Then whisk in the applesauce, milk, honey, and vanilla until fully combined. Wait to add the butter.
In another bowl stir all of the “filling” ingredients together until fully incorporated. Set aside.
Whisk in the 1/4 cup melted butter to the wet ingredients then pour the wet into the dry and stir or whisk until just combined [when you no longer see dry flour]. Fold in the nut mixture and portion into muffin liners about 3/4 the way full.
Bake muffins for 17-22 minutes and test with a toothpick for doneness [slightly moist, not sticky]. Let muffins cool for about 7-10 minutes. Keeping muffins in their liners drizzle a small amount of honey over each muffin, then a sprinkle of nuts, then another small drizzle of honey, and then about 1/2 teaspoon melted butter over each. Let fully cool. Muffins will firm and hold together once cooled.
Notes: Raw buckwheat flour can be ground from raw buckwheat groats [not kasha or toasted buckwheat]. You can grind the groats in a blender, coffee grinder, magic bullet, etc. Raw buckwheat flour is much milder in flavor than packaged buckwheat flour but you can substitute store-bought if desired. Substitute flours at your own risk.
Muffin time.
All the time.
Time to start your ovens.
Ashley
