Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

As muffins go, those made in our village coffee shop are superb. What sets them apart from the norm, is the addition of three - not the usual two, but three - interesting ingredients. I’ve begun doing that in my own muffin-making, and it’s definitely tasty. Don’t be afraid to experiment when you bake: Muffins are a good place to start.  

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins:

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. (15 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

3-1/2 oz. (100 g) dried mango slices

5-1/4 oz. (150 g) dried, sugared ginger slices

1/2 c. (125 mL) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped 

1/3 c. (80 mL) canola oil

1 c. (250 mL) milk                                               

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

1 egg

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon extract

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Spray-grease muffin papers for standard muffin pan. Bring water-filled kettle to a boil.

In large bowl, throughly combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside. 

Pour enough boiling water over mango slices to cover. Set aside 10 min. Drain and blot reconstituted mango dry with paper towel, chopping mangos coarsely. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1/2 c. (125 mL). Chop ginger slices into bite-sized pieces. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1 c. (250 mL). 

In small bowl, combine mango, ginger, and walnuts. Add to dry ingredients until evenly distributed. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, extract, and zest. Making a “well” in dry ingredients, add wet ingredients all at once. Mix quickly, just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon or ladle into prepared muffin cups in pan, adding slightly less than 1/2 c. (125 mL) batter to each muffin cup. Bake 25-to-30 min. until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out dry. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.