I had a moment with an apricot this weekend–well, more than one apricot, actually, and more than one moment as well. We met at the Cherry Creek Farmers market on Saturday. They blushed at me from their little cardboard box and set my heart a-flutter. I strategized about how to convince the fruit-stand owner to let me have them.
“You mean, I can actually buy these? I can pay you and you will give them to me?”
I filled a white lunch sack with the prettiest, most colorful apricots, and headed home with new plans for the afternoon. They were very photogenic.
Three hours and a hundred photographs later, it occurred to me that these little beauties could taste as good as they look…
Upon first bite, I had an epiphany. Birds chirped, and I could swear I heard a Hallelujah chorus. So this is how an apricot really tastes. The pink blushed skin stretched tightly around juicy orange flesh. At first taste, sweetness. Then, a transformation in my mouth, ending on a bright note. I think I saw a fast forward of the entire life of the apricot, from the perfect balance of Western Slope sunshine and afternoon rainstorms to the observant grower who waited for the exact right moment to pluck it from the tree, not a moment too soon.
Of course, I’d eaten apricots before, but knew that I had not yet met the epitome…until now.
As it turns out, I met two ideals this weekend; the second of which nestled within the pages of my most recent cookbook acquisition, Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce (which I won from Bon Appetit Magazine!). I first started coveting this cookbook when Deb from Smitten Kitchen featured not one, but two recipes on her blog–a rustic rhubarb tart and oatmeal pancakes. Boyce uses an assortment of whole grain flours, from the more common whole wheat and oat, to the exotic amaranth.
In the past, I’ve met whole grain baked goods with hesitation. Does anybody really enjoy eating a dense dry muffin, even if it’s good for you? Well, I was convinced as soon as I laid eyes on the beautifully photographed Cheddar Biscuits, and converted when I baked my own version of the Ginger Peach Muffins (using apricots, first, then peaches on the second batch). Kim Boyce will change the way you think about whole grain baking.
Oat flour, whole wheat flour and all purpose flour band together with sour cream, milk and butter to into a fluffy, moist muffin, unlike any other whole grain muffin I have ever tasted. They come out of the oven scented with ginger and topped with a ginger and honey glazed apricot.
Rarely do I make the same recipe more than once in a single week, but I’ve made these muffins twice; once with apricots, and once using peaches. Once alone, and once tag-team style with my good friend Karissa. They disappeared quickly both times. Plain-Jane white flour muffins will never be the same again.
- 12 small apricots, ripe but firm, sliced in half (or quartered), pit removed (or any type of stone fruit or berry you desire)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 cup oat flour (I made mine by grinding oats in a coffee grinder)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ stick of butter (6 tablespoons), melted and cooled a bit
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- muffin tin (to hold one dozen)
- 11 5½ inch squares parchment paper (or rub muffin tins with butter)
- Place the butter, honey and 1 teaspoon ginger in a medium skillet over medium heat to melt the mixture. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then add the apricots and stir gently to coat. Set aside.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring the ingredients remaining in the sifter back into the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until combined. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine.
- Place a square of parchment paper on the palm of one hand. Scoop some batter onto the middle of the parchment paper, then place in a muffin cup. Add another spoonful of batter if needed so that the muffin cup is generously filled. Toss the apricots in the syrup to coat them once again. Tuck one apricot slice into the batter, and lay a second slice over top. Glaze each apricot with additional syrup.
- Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The muffins are ready when they smell nutty and their bottoms are golden in color. Remove the muffins to a cooling rack, and allow them to cool slightly before eating. They are best when eaten the same day, but may be kept in an airtight container for up to two days.
I made high-altitude adaptations using Susan Purdy's guide on Epicurious.com as a reference. These adaptations will work for elevation 5280.
Decrease baking soda to ¾ tsp
Add 1 tablespoon plain yogurt to the wet mix
Use slightly less sugar (as in, a scant ¼ cup)
YUMMY!
Judy and I agree!
Your blog is wonderful!!
Just like you…………………………!!!
Very nice Jen, I love it.
Heavenly! Have you tried Red Apricots? Had some the other day for the first time & the flavor is more intensly apricoty :)) Love your blog, recipes, creativity and photography….simply awesome!
this looks delightful!
Printing! OH my! These both look and sounds divine! Thanks for sharing this! Great blog; happy I found you!
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
I love the way you used parchment paper for the muffin holders. Definitely going to try that.
Ha ha I think I siged up twice I was so excited about this recipe & your presentation….so I am Karen & Auntie Karen…..which would you prefer I be Jen-Jen??? Am going to try this recipe as my hubby LOVES apricots, they are very sweet & in season out here inCA now. YUM!
You can be either-or, or both at the same time! I hope you and the hubby enjoy these muffins as much as I do.
These look absolutely gorgeous! Your photos are amazing! I am making these this weekend. 🙂
Gorge! The apricots – and the muffins – are beauties. I too have yet to find a whole wheat muffin that really truly holds a candle to the plain old white flour ones. Bookmarking this.
GORGEOUS photos and such lovely muffins!
I love how thorough you were with this recipe; I enjoyed reading it! Plus, it made me laugh- “the apricots are so photogenic.”
A few years ago my mother went to Austria and came back with some delicious recipes. One of the recipes reminds me of this recipe. The German recipe is called marillenkuchen: http://spinnwebe.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/dsc01340.jpg
(when she baked it, it looked exactly like this). I remember when she came back, she baked seven batches of this the first week. It’s an extremely simple recipe- you can’t go wrong! The main ingredient is apricot (my favorite). Though, they aren’t exactly muffins. The substance is more cakey, which is why it’s so simple to make. The best part of making marillenkuchen is when you take your batch out of the oven and pour powdered sugar on top. Sultry apricots with a sprinkled sugar on top are delicious!
I can’t wait to try this muffin recipe next week! If you’re interested in the marillenkuchen recipe, let me know (if you Google it, all the links that show up are in German).
Thanks Ashley! Wow…..! That marillenkuchen looks amazing. I would LOVE the recipe. If you could translate it to English for me, I’d be forever grateful:)
i just made these, they are yummy! posted pics via my fb page on my cooking album. the only difference i would make is cutting back a tablespoon or so on the fresh ginger in the wet mix. it’s very intense, but i happen to have a love affair with ginger, so it doesn’t really matter in the end! thanks for the great recipe! it’s a keeper!
http://www.facebook.com/kimberleyanne02
Great! Glad you enjoyed it, even with the intensity of the ginger!
I might’ve missed it somewhere, but I’m not seeing the oven temperature. What would you suggest? I’m in Boulder, so also at high altitude, in case that makes a difference.
Hi! Thanks for catching that! I updated the recipe–you can bake them at 350 degrees. Good luck! I haven’t made these in a while! I think I’ll give it another go!