These decadent Gourmet Deli-style Mincemeat Muffins with their lovely crumble topping are a fabulous way to enjoy mincemeat. Good any time of the year, they are an especially wonderful treat around the Christmas holiday period.
I grow a lot of tomatoes so always have excess green tomatoes and one of my most favorite ways to make use of them is to turn them into Green Tomato Mincemeat so, naturally, that’s the mincemeat I use in this recipe. You can find my Green Tomato Mincemeat recipe by clicking here. However, commercially-produced mincemeat from the supermarket works well, too.
I am not a fan of puny flat-topped muffins. There, I’ve said it! If I am having a muffin, I want it to be a significant size, beautifully domed, and packed full of flavor – these are what I am referring to when I say “deli-style or bistro-style” muffins.
One thing I learned many moons ago is that, to achieve these types of muffins, you have to put the good stuff in them! No skimping or substituting lower quality products. So, that’s what I do when I am creating my muffin recipes, or any recipes, for that matter.
This recipe follows the standard muffin-making method. That is, the dry ingredients are combined in one bowl and the sugars and wet ingredients blended in another. The wet ingredients are poured into a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mixed only until just barely blended. Do not overmix muffin batter as this will result in tough muffins.
As with any recipe that requires ingredients to be at room temperature, start by bringing the eggs, yogurt, and milk to room temperature. Ingredients just simply blend together better when they are all at the same temperature.
Note that the yogurt called for in this recipe is the thick Greek-or Mediterranean-style yogurt that differs from the more runny regular type yogurts. Either plain or vanilla Greek/Mediterranean-style yogurt will work well in this recipe. In a pinch, if you don’t have Greek/Mediterranean yogurt, you can mix ¼ cup of regular-style plain or vanilla yogurt (i.e., the more runny style yogurt) with ¼ cup sour cream and use it as a substitute as this combination somewhat resembles the thickness and texture of Greek/Mediterranean-style yogurts. I do not recommend using the runny style of yogurt by itself as it is too liquidy for the batter and won’t give the same intended muffin texture as the use of Greek/Mediterranean yogurt will.
The flour mix I use in these muffins is one I frequently use in baking – all-purpose flour, sorghum flour, and superfine blanched almond flour. If you live near a bulk foods store, there is no need to buy full packaged bags of sorghum and almond flour if these are not flours you normally bake with. Bulk food stores are great places to buy small amounts of specialty flours called for in recipes you would like to make.
When making the crumble topping, drizzle in the melted and cooled butter just before applying the topping to the muffins. Don’t overmix the topping. Simply take a fork and toss the dry ingredients with the melted butter. The topping will appear dry and crumbly which is how it is supposed to be. Note that I have listed the crumble topping as optional as the muffins are still quite lovely perfectly plain. However, the crumble topping does add to the muffins, in taste, texture, and appearance.
Unless you are using paper liners in the muffin cups, make sure each muffin cup is well greased or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Because the crumble topping may stick to the top of the muffin tray, ensure the entire top of the tray is greased as well. I suggest doing this even if standard paper liners the height of each muffin cup are used. If, however, you are using tulip-shaped parchment paper liners, there is probably no need to grease the top of the muffin tray as the parchment liners are generally quite tall anyway and will catch stray crumble toppings that otherwise might tumble off the muffins and stick to the top of the muffin tray.
To get the desired dome-shaped muffin, I start the muffins off at a high oven temperature – i.e., a preheated 475°F oven in the case of this recipe. Using the high temperature to begin the baking process allows the outside of the muffin to quickly set while still allowing the inside to continue to rise into the desired gentle dome shape. As soon as I place the muffins in the oven, I immediately drop the temperature back to 375°F. I recommend rotating the muffin tray part way through the baking process to ensure the muffins all bake evenly.
These muffins will bake for approximately 23-25 minutes and will be baked when they are just firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Be sure to let the muffins rest and set in the muffin tins for 5-10 minutes after they come out of the oven and before removing them from the muffin cups and transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Gourmet Deli-style Mincemeat Muffins
Ingredients for the Muffins:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
3 tbsp superfine blanched almond flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamon
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cloves
1/3 cup quick cooking rolled oats
2½ tsp finely grated orange zest
1/3 – ½ cup currants
¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature), lightly beaten
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp plain or vanilla Greek/Mediterranean-style yogurt, room temperature
½ cup of 2% milk, room temperature (mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes before using)
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup mincemeat (homemade or commercial)
Ingredients for Crumble Topping (Optional):
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp quick cooking rolled oats
¼ cup brown sugar
2½ tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp cardamon
1/8 tsp allspice
3 tbsp melted and cooled butter
Method for the Muffins:
Set out eggs, yogurt, and the 2% milk to bring them to room temperature.
Melt the butter needed for the crumble topping. Cool at room temperature.
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 475°F.
Prepare muffin tray by spraying each individual muffin cup with non-stick cooking spray or greasing individually, ensuring the top of the muffin tin tray is also well-greased/sprayed. Alternatively, the muffin cups can be lined with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together. Stir in the rolled oats, orange zest, currants, and pecans (if using). Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In medium-sized bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugars, eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir in the mincemeat. Mix well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir only until barely incorporated. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the rim.
Method for Crumble Topping:
To make crumble topping, whisk all dry ingredients in bowl and drizzle with the 3 tbsp cool melted butter. Use a fork to toss the dry ingredients with the butter. Mixture will appear dry and crumbly. Sprinkle tops of muffins generously with crumble topping.
Transfer muffins to oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until muffins are just firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Rotate the muffin tray part way through the baking process.
Let muffins rest in muffin cups for 5-10 minutes then remove and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yield: 12-14 muffins
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You may also enjoy these other muffin recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen:
Peach Pecan Muffins
Strawberry Muffins
Zucchini Granola Muffins
Cranberry Banana Eggnog Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Rhubarb and Orange Muffins
Bran Muffins
Gourmet Deli-style Mincemeat Muffins
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Muffins:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sorghum flour
- 3 tbsp superfine blanched almond flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cardamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 1/3 cup quick cooking rolled oats
- 2½ tsp finely grated orange zest
- 1/3 - ½ cup currants
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature), lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp plain or vanilla Greek/Mediterranean-style yogurt, room temperature
- ½ cup of 2% milk, room temperature (mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes before using)
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup mincemeat (homemade or commercial)
Ingredients for Crumble Topping (Optional):
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp quick cooking rolled oats
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp cardamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 3 tbsp melted and cooled butter
Instructions
Method for the Muffins:
-
Set out eggs, yogurt, and 2% milk to bring them to room temperature.
-
Melt the butter needed for the crumble topping. Cool at room temperature.
-
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 475°F.
-
Prepare muffin tray by spraying each individual muffin cup with non-stick cooking spray or greasing individually, ensuring the top of the muffin tin tray is also well-greased/sprayed. Alternatively, the muffin cups can be lined with paper liners.
-
In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together. Stir in the rolled oats, orange zest, currants, and pecans (if using). Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
-
In medium-sized bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugars, eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir in the mincemeat. Mix well.
-
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir only until barely incorporated. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the rim.
Method for Crumble Topping:
-
To make crumble topping, whisk all dry ingredients in bowl and drizzle with the 3 tbsp cool melted butter. Use a fork to toss the dry ingredients with the butter. Mixture will appear dry and crumbly. Sprinkle tops of muffins generously with crumble topping.
-
Transfer muffins to oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until muffins are just firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Rotate the muffin tray part way through the baking process.
-
Let muffins rest in muffin cups for 5-10 minutes then remove and transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Notes
Yield: 12-14 muffins
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