posted by luvcookin 02-15-101 9:45 PM
New York Times
Lawsuit Muffins
(Makes about 15 muffins)
For the streusel topping:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 3 ounces)
For the muffins:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced orange or lemon zest
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped fruit*
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners.
For the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Set aside.
For the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, orange or lemon zest and egg just until combined. Do not overmix. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture and gently stir to combine. Add remaining flour mixture and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the fruit. (Frozen fruit will result in a thicker batter than fresh fruit; if the batter seems too runny, stir in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the batter is the desired consistency. But add no more than a total of 4 additional tablespoons of flour.)
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan, transfer them to the wire rack and set aside to cool completely.
* Note: Almost any fruit works well in this recipe. Good choices include: fresh or frozen diced rhubarb, coarsely chopped fresh or dried cranberries, blueberries, diced apples, firm small chunks of bananas (may wish to add a pinch of nutmeg), frozen raspberries or strawberries, dried sour cherries, or a combination of strawberries and rhubarb.
For delicate, highly colored fruits such as raspberries, cranberries or blueberries, using semi-frozen fruit helps prevent batter discoloration and protects the fruit from becoming mashed in the batter.
Per muffin: 318 calories, 4 gm protein, 46 gm carbohydrates, 14 gm fat, 17 mg cholesterol, 2 gm saturated fat, 176 mg sodium, 2 gm dietary fiber