Multigrain Carrot-Date Muffins
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for the tins
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup finely chopped pitted Medjool dates
- 1½ cups loosely packed grated carrots
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ cup oat bran
- ½ cup almond meal
- ⅓ cup unbleached cake flour
- ½ cup muscovado sugar
- ⅓ cup turbinado sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
There is no denying that a nice pastry is perfect paired with a hot cup of coffee.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the dates and carrots and set aside. In another mixing bowl, sift the remaining ingredients together, making sure there are no clumps. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Let sit for about 5 minutes for the batter to poof up just a bit.
- Meanwhile, prepare your muffin tins by lining with paper liners or greasing with a thin layer of butter on all sides. You will get 12 small muffins if you fill a standard muffin tin halfway full, or about 8 larger muffins if you fill them to the brim (these will spill over the top while baking, so grease the top of the tin as well). Sprinkle a bit of extra turbinado sugar on top of each muffin. Bake until the tops of the muffins are just browned and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 21 to 23 minutes for smaller muffins and 25 to 27 minutes for larger ones.
- Remove the pan from the oven. When just cool enough to handle, twist each muffin out and turn it on its side to release the steam. Serve warm, or store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.