PISTACHIO SAFFRON MUFFINS - EGG FREE
Pistachio Saffron Muffins are simple to prepare, fragrant, delicious, and free of eggs. They are ideal for any celebration, whether it's a festival or a special event. I often bake these for Diwali. However, I am redoing the old post for Mother's Day.
Ingredients
FOR THE PISTACHIO SAFFRON MUFFINS
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 8-10 strands of saffron
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp tsp salt
- ¼ cup almonds roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios roughly chopped
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ⅓ cup oil
TOPPING, OPTIONAL
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- a few strands of saffron
- ¼ cup pistachio slivers
Instructions
- Heat the milk till it is hot. Add the saffron. Let the saffron steep in the milk till it cools down.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line the muffin moulds or tray with paper cups.
- Sieve the flour, baking agents and salt together into a big bowl. Add the chopped almonds and pistachio powder.
- Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
- Add milk, oil, yogurt and sugar in another mixing bowl. Whisk it till it appears frothy.
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix just enough till the flour to gets wet. DO NOT OVER MIX.
- Fill the prepared tray or cups three quarter of the way.
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or till a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of the muffins comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven. Let them rest in the tray or moulds for 5 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the tray or moulds and let them cool on a wire rack.
FOR THE TOPPING, OPTIONAL
- Whip the cream and sugar together till it forms soft peaks.
- Spread a bit of the whipped cream over the muffins. Use a spoon or a piping bag.
- Sprinkle some saffron strands and chopped pistachios.
Notes
- If the saffron does not give the batter a nice lemony yellow colour then you may want to add some yellow food colour. I have not added any.
- If you want to frost the muffins then mix ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup cream cheese and 2 cups of icing sugar till the frosting is light and fluffy. Pipe the frosting onto the muffins using a piping bag. You may want to add a bit of colour to the frosting.
- Sprinkle the frosting with cardamom powder, saffron strands or pistachio slivers.
- Allow the saffron to steep in the hot milk.
- The muffins can be enjoyed without any icing or fresh cream.