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Monday, December 23, 2013

Cinnamon Yogurt Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble #MuffinMonday


Yogurt adds subtle fruity flavor to this cinnamon muffin and the generous crumble is the perfect topping. 

Happy Little Christmas Eve!  And, no, that is not a holiday I just made up.  Many years ago, we were living in Balikpapan, Indonesia and our neighbor was a lovely Norwegian lady named Turid.  She was a career diplomat and had been working most recently in the embassy in Jakarta so her Indonesian was superb.  It’s not a hard language to master for everyday “market” conversation but at a business and diplomatic level, it gets much more complicated.  She had retired young to raise her daughter and had moved to Balikpapan with her husband who was working there.  Turid kindly offered to give me Indonesian lessons and, under her tutelage, I got pretty good too.  But the best part was that I also made a friend.

On December 23, she invited our family over for Lille Julaften or Little Christmas Eve, a special Norwegian celebration.  I don’t  remember the names of all the traditional cookies and cakes and dishes but everything was homemade and wonderful.  And I do recall that there was a lot of wine and beer involved.  And aquavit.  That stuff is trouble.  My advice for today is just say no to the aquavit but have a very happy Little Christmas Eve!  And perhaps bake some cinnamon yogurt muffins.

Ingredients
For the muffin batter:
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
3/4 cup or 185g fruit yogurt of your choice (I used raspberry.)
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 large egg

For the crumble:
1/4 cup or 60g butter
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup or 30g flour
Pinch salt

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin pan by greasing it or lining it paper muffin cups.

Start by making your crumble.  Put all of your crumble ingredients into a small bowl and use a pastry blender to cut them into each other until you have a sort of lumpy sandy mixture.  Set aside.



You should still have some small bits of butter visible. 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, the sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.



In another bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, oil and egg.


Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed.



Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and top each with a generous helping of the crumble.


Bake in the preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins to cool completely.


Enjoy!   And since this will likely be my last post before Christmas Day, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

8 comments :

  1. Yum! Anything with a streusel or crumble topping definitely gets my vote (or two... one vote from each hand!). The yoghurt is a great idea... I've started to love baking with yoghurt and sour cream. It adds so much moistness and flavour. Thanks for the beautiful recipe, happy 'little Christmas eve' back to you lovely!! Hugs xx

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  2. Such a great story! I love learning more about traditions from around the world! Beautiful muffins too!

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  3. These look wonderful, Stacy! You have lived in so many fascinating places. I loved your story here, and yes Aquavit is trouble LOL. I'll definitely take these wonderful little muffins instead!

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  4. oooooh I'm a sucker for a good cinnamon crumble!


    and I always love your multi-cultural stories!

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  5. I am always so happy when you come and comment, Kayle. Your upbeat positivity always lifts my spirits and makes my day!

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  6. Ah, so you have some experience of the Aquavit, Susan! The muffins are definitely the much safer option. :)

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  7. Thanks, Laura! I am grateful for your kind words!

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  8. I use the two interchangeably in cakes and muffins, Laura. If I don't have one, I usually have the other. And I'm with you on toppings! They are the best.

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