Have a sweet safe trip..

These muffins were made during moments of emptiness and feeling of loneliness and although I am not a muffin type of person, these were delicious and irresistible and they did make me feel a bit better.......why sad? well, nothing bad happened, it's just that my husband is away for 2 to 3 weeks and I'm feeling a little down. So, I made him these muffins in case the flight meal comes out "horrible". Not that muffins will replace a real meal but I wish he'll find comfort (like I did) when he eats them. A little taste of home while he is away!

We used to get almond muffins from a Farmer's Market and I always liked them. I was hoping one day I could discover their secret recipe and I think I did! The result has the perfect balance of everything: sweetness, softness and flavors. Although the almond part is only on the topping, these muffins taste almondy enough with the tiny bit of extract that I added. Next time I'll try to put ground almonds in the batter and if it works fine I'll add the appropriate changes to the recipe. Meanwhile, I hope you'll try these deliciously easy muffins.....you never know they may bring some comfort in those moments!

Almond Crunch Muffins (for 11 muffins)

150 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled.
2 large eggs.
100 g brown sugar (I used dark one).
30 g granulated sugar.
80 ml whole milk.
80 ml buttermilk.
50 g cake flour.
200 g all purpose flour.
75g  ground almonds.
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
1/4 tsp almond extract.
1/8 tsp salt.

Almond Topping

35g  cup sliced almonds ( I use sliced for their fine texture)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp cinnamon
 pinch of salt

Preparation

1- Preheat your oven to 375 f. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups. Set aside.

2- Make the topping: in a food processor, mix all the ingredients and pulse until crumbly. You should still see small pieces of almonds, do not grind the mixture too finely.

3- Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the ground almonds and set aside.

4- Beat the eggs and the sugars until fluffy. Add the milk, buttermilk and melted butter. Beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and the almond extract.

5- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Do not over mix.

6- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Spread about a tablespoon of topping on each muffin and bake for 20 to 25 minute or until golden brown.

As mentioned before, I said I'll try to add almonds to the recipe. It worked wonderfully and added more almond flavor. So I made the appropriate changes to the recipe