Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Bakery-style Pistachio Muffins -


No gloom and doom today - let's do something fun!

You requested, so I'm sharing, my green and gorgeous
 Pistachio Muffins recipe. 
It's a very simple, quick to mix and bake, recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . .
 . . . . . . . .and you will find just about everyone loves them.




PISTACHIO MUFFINS

Makes 8 jumbo muffins


1 box (16.25 OZ)  'Betty Crocker' WHITE Super Moist Cake Mix**
1 box (3.4 OZ)  'Jello' Pistachio Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
2 Large Eggs
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Buttermilk***
1 Tablespoon PURE Almond Extract - don't use artificial extract and don't skimp as this makes the muffins taste so delicious

Topping:

1 Tablespoon roasted and shelled Pistachios*, crushed with a rolling pin -
or

1 Tablespoon sliced almonds - I sometimes use both mixed together
1 Teaspoon golden granulated sugar or sparkling sugar for crunch

Preheat oven to 425F
Grease muffin pans or use paper liners****

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix and pudding mix.
In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs, add water, oil, buttermilk, and almond extract, whisking well to blend. Add wet ingredients slowly to dry, stirring until well mixed.
Spoon into 8 muffin pans - fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle mix of nuts and sugar lightly on top.

Bake on middle rack at 425F for just 7 minutes - this produces a more domed top, then reduce heat to 350F and bake 13 -15 minutes, watch carefully so as not to get too brown - test with cake tester for doneness. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan to wire rack, cool completely.  

The muffins are good anytime but I actually prefer them next day.  These freeze really well in plastic bags and are still great when defrosted.



Some tips from me because I want you to make good muffins, in fact so good,
if you share with your neighbors their eyes will light up each time they see you
 coming to their door plate in hand!

*Shelled and roasted pistachios are often expensive - but so delicious!  
I buy mine from ALDI or LIDL - good prices, and the bag will last a long
 time, unless you gobble them up between muffin baking days!

**I buy Betty Crocker cake mix as it seems to be the best. I tried
 another brand recently but it seemed stale and lumpy.



***I always have a jug of this in the refrigerator. It's the best - full fat buttermilk, don't 
buy the watered down version - and it keeps so well.

****I spray my pans, even though they are non-stick, with canola oil for easy removal,
Personally I don't like paper liners as they often stick and cause the muffin
 (or cupcake) to crumble on removal, especially when fresh.

OK ladies, and any guys out there who love to bake, (unfortunately I don't have one 
who bakes, but I do love him for other reasons), give these a try, when you can get 
the ingredients, and let me know what you think.

"Happy baking, time in the kitchen, days"

11 comments:

  1. Yum! These sound delicious and look so pretty too. I must try them. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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  2. Whines quietly...I dont like pistachios....

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    Replies
    1. Change it to any flavor you want by changing the puddings and extract. Coconut, banana, lemon/lime, vanilla. And btw you don't have to add extra nuts and what nuts that are in the pudding are minimal and chopped very small, hardly know they're there.

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  3. Thank you so much for the recipe, Mary! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make/eat these after all because I can't have the artificial ingredients that are in boxed cake mixes and instant pudding mixes. Oh, a tip on buttermilk...if you don't have any on-hand, you can substitute one cup of milk that has 1T of lemon juice or vinegar mixed in. (Let it sit at least 5 min.)

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  4. I'd love you to come over to my flat, plate in hand... :-)
    Unfortunately, I won't be able to make these; we do not have Betty Crocker's here, and I have never seen pistachio instant pudding, either.

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  5. Dear Mary,
    These Pistachio Muffins are too pretty to eat.

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  6. Yummmm! I will be trying this recipe once I get the ingredients on my next shopping trip. I actually always keep a bag of pistachios on hand. I love them.

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  7. I just had to try to make these since I went to the store and seen they made such a thing! This is a wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing as they have turned put great and yes..took some to the neighbors lol

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  8. Hi Mary-this recipe looks great- could I make this work in a 9x5loag pan?

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  9. Great Recipe! The muffins were delicious!

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