Metropolitan Morning Muffins
One dozen muffins (I usually double the recipe and make 24!)
8 ounces dried cherries, soaked overnight in apple cider
1 cup almond slices, toasted with a dash of salt and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground allspice
8 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup Greek yoghurt
½ tsp almond extract
10 ounces chocolate chips (for this recipe, I prefer the mini-chips)
Sanding sugar to sprinkle on before baking (or granulated sugar)
1) The night before baking, soak the dried cherries in enough apple cider to cover.
2) The next morning: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toast the almond slices with a dash of salt and set aside to cool. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Drain the cherries in a colander. Line your muffin tin with muffin papers or make them yourself with parchment.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and the allspice.
4) In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs until evenly combined. Add the yoghurt and almond extract and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the butter and then whisk until evenly combined.
5) Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the wet mix. Before mixing, add in the drained cherries, toasted almonds and mini chocolate chips. Fold all the ingredients together with a flexible spatula just until there are no streaks of flour – please don’t overmix!
6) Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar. Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the tin (the chocolate will be extremely hot!)
