Thank you Pretty Edible Stylist for sharing the muffin love this Valentine’s…
Luckily for you, these are super easy and no-fuss, involve little ceremony yet bags of more-ish yumminess. They use one of my all-time favourite flavour combos – SALTED CARAMEL, PECAN and APPLE. Erm, yum. If you haven’t tried this combo, I can promise you’re in for a treat. When combined, they ooze decadence and sweet/salty/nutty pleasure and yet, believe it or not, these guys are also rather good for you.
Being gluten, dairy and sugar-free (not that you would know!) these are made for everyone but feel free to use whichever plain flour or milk you have to hand/suits your preference. They can easily be made vegan by replacing the egg with my substitute option below.
Makes 12 muffins
200g Medjool dates, stoned
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
75-100ml soya or nut milk of choice (you can use dairy milk)
1 tsp sea salt
150g ground pecans, plus 75g roughly chopped
100g buckwheat flour
zest of 1 small lemon
4 large eggs, lightly whisked *substitute with the below to make this vegan-friendly
1 tsp baking powder
50ml olive or rapeseed oil
150g apple (about 1 x small), chopped roughly into small cube, plus one apple thinly sliced
Extra salted caramel sauce to serve, if you wish
200g Medjool dates, stoned
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1 tsp sea salt
75-100ml soya or nut milk of choice (you can use dairy milk)
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Begin by making the salted caramel (you can make a double quantity together if you are eating the muffins the same day and wish to serve the muffins with spoonfuls of extra sauce as shown in the image above and below. I can recommend this!) In a high speed blender, blitz together the dates, milk, vanilla and salt for a few seconds, or until smooth and creamy.
2. In a large bowl, add the salted caramel, ground pecans, flour, lemon zest, eggs, baking powder and oil. Mix until a smooth batter is formed, then carefully fold in the chopped pecan and apple.
3. Line a 12-hole muffin tray, then carefully use two large spoons to fill each case until all the mixture is used up. Smooth the surface of each muffin with the back of a spoon, then top with a slice of apple.
4. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the surface of the muffin is firm and springy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes on a wire rack. You can devour these warm or at room temperature with spoonfuls of salted caramel. They will keep for a few days – or just as I like to do, they are perfect for freezing individually, then enjoyed as and when you need one or five!
*To make these vegan you can substitute the eggs with 3 tablespoons milled flaxseed & 110ml water mixed together. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before adding to the batter mix.
Recipe, Photography & Styling: Natalie Seldon
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