Yesterday we talked about underrated foods, à la walnuts. Today I’m thinking about later-in-life foods. As in, stuff you just didn’t eat until you were adult-like. But now that you’re older and much, much wiser, you enjoy your new culinary discoveries all the time!
A lot of people tell me that avocados are their LIL foods. Also fava beans.
One poor soul told me that Jolly Ranchers were his LIL food. I gave him a hug and we cried together.
Pistachios are my later-in-life food. I honestly can’t remember eating them at all until I met A., who is a true pistachiophile. He taught me proper cracking technique.
I really grew to appreciate the unique flavor of pistachios, but it wasn’t until I started reading about working them into cakes, cookies, flans and even moles that I was truly hooked.
Today we’re making little, green pistachio muffins. For breakfast!
I have this idea that muffins can be quite boring, which is why I like to play with their texture when I make them.
These pistachio muffins involve the nuts two ways: ground into a pistachio ‘pesto’ and chopped whole kernels.
If you’re lucky enough to find a sack of shelled pistachios, you’re money. If not, pull up a chair, throw on a good movie, and prepare to crack your face off: we need 1 1/2 cups of pistachio kernels for these muffins.
But it’s so, SO worth the effort, you know?
I generally don’t care for nut extracts -they taste alcoholic and medicinal to me- and I’ve tried pistachio puddings and the like. Nothing really matches the flavor of the actual nut.
We’re going for true, unadulterated pistachio here.
I made these muffins for A. to take to work so I had to use my manliners, which are simply squares of parchment paper that hold the batter. Words were never exchanged to this effect, but let’s just say that a lot more of my muffins began finding their way into A.’s lunchbox when I switched from pink hearts and rainbow liners to these manliners.
Apparently a grown man eating a muffin out of a pink hearts and rainbow liner doesn’t play around the watercooler.
Dignity, people.
Look at that! Gah, do I love pistachios. If only I had met them sooner. Must have been distracted by the Jolly Ranchers…
Pistachio Muffins
2 c. white sugar, granulated
1 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
3/4 c. pistachio kernels (see below for instructions on grinding)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare the pistachio ‘pesto’, place 3/4 cup of pistachio kernels in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process the nuts for 30 seconds and scrape down the side of the bowl. Process for another 30 seconds. Finished pesto will be the consistency of a dry, coarse paste. If you need to process for an additional 30 seconds you can. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cream the sugar and oil in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, beating until incorporated.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar, alternating with the buttermilk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary and beating until just incorporated. Beat in the pistachio pesto and fold in the chopped nuts.
Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin – you will want to fill each cavity to just below the top lip of the liner.
Bake the muffins for 24-28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool slightly before unmolding.
YIELD: 24 muffins
I love a good pistachio dessert or sweet treat, but they’re so hard to find! I tried my first one in this French pistachio crumble/cake creation at this French bakery in Sarasota, FL, and now I’m addicted. I’m definitely bookmarking this!
I’m drooling over this recipe right now! Justing wondering if you have tried using whole wheat or white wheat flour in combination with the all purpose.
You know, I haven’t, only because I personally don’t care for the taste of whole wheat flour in quick breads. That said, I think it would likely work here, mainly because pistachios are naturally so oily and flavorful. I say give it a try, and if you’re nervous, start your first batch with a blend of half AP + half whole wheat. Let me know how it turns out!
Hey! First time visiting your site, spotted these muffins and knew I had to make these right away. Pistachios are my all time favorite nuts, and I love that these muffins come out with a natural tinge of green! I halved the recipe and dialed down the sugar by 1/4 cup which gave me 9 muffins; they came out perfect. Would definitely make this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
I love the natural green color too! And I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins – they’re a really fun way to enjoy pistachios! Happy weekend!
I just started my own blog a few days ago and blogged about these muffins! Would love it if you have the time to check it out!
Your muffins and your blog are so sweet!
Just made these for my husband for fathers day. He had a store bought pistachio muffin and he won’t stop raving about it. Unfortunately they are ridiculously priced and I know home made would be better anyways. I found that by pushing the “man liner” into the tin with a cup helped it to hold its shape slightly better than doing it solely with my hands and it was slightly easier to fill with batter then. p.s. these are delicious!
GREAT idea on the manliner, Julia! I’m so glad your husband enjoyed these for Father’s Day!!
Asparagus was served to me as a kid. Overcooked mushy asparagus; learning to prepare it correctly made all the difference so it was a LIL dish for me too.
I just baked with pistachios for the first time a couple of weeks ago; I’ve typically thought of them more as a snack or salad topping. That was a mistake; they were great in a savory cracker and now I so want this muffin!
Oooh – great muffin recipe. Avocados, coriander and pistachios are all my LIL foods!!
I feel weird writing this after Gerry’s comment, but I still love the idea of manliners
If you don’t mind, how big a parchment square do you usually need for a regular muffin cavity?
Great question, Regina! I used parchment squares that were approximately 4″ x 4″ in my standard-sized muffin tin. You have to kind of jam the paper into the cavities and then hold it in place with the batter, but I think the simple squares make for a lovely presentation.
Love the texture and the light colour of this treat. I think I would add some cardamom to this too
Hehe, manliners….I adore pistachios, but they are a pain to open. It really pisses me off when I get one that has no slit. I am always determined to open it anyway. Usually with my teeth until I realize I am going to lose or chip a tooth…
Loving the manliners and the use of pistachios!
Oh, but I do love me some pistachios. I always kinda forget about them, so thanks for the reminder!
Too funny about the liners!
Sounds like a great recipe. Will give them a try.
Thanks for sharing.
Charlie
Mmm, I too have a newfound love of pistachios – these look SO good!
Yes yes and more yes! This looks phenomenal!! Really! I adore pistachios so this is just calling my name!
Holy bejeezus. These look amazing.
I can imagine that muffins with pistachios should taste so nice.. I’m really curious now to try it
Pistachio’s are my favorite nut and I never seem to bake with them for some reason! This sounds lovely!
Not just pistactio, but double-pistachio muffins! I absolutely love them. Isn’t packaging so important – I laughed at the effect your repackaging them in manliners.
I absolutely adore pistachios – I’ve been putting them ground up into salad dressing which is absolutely delicious, but eating them in sweet stuff is still my number one love. These muffins look heavenly – bet they’d be gorgeous with a sticky pistachio nut glaze on top too
Awesome recipe. you always amaze me with your work.
good job..
Great idea – Manliners
lol
I’m trying both the pistachio muffin recipe which attracted me first
and of course the “manliners”
I don’t like most of the later-in-life foods mentioned (except Jolly Ranchers). No avocado, asparagus or lentils for me, thank you — and I’m plenty old enough to have tried them all many times. Pistachios I do like. Someone gave me some pistachio oil for Christmas. I haven’t used it yet, but perhaps I could use it in some muffins like these.
Pistachio oil sounds WONDERFUL, Sharyn. It would be AMAZING in these muffins, I think.
These look gorgeous Scarletta! Love the texture. Would like to give these a spin on Muffin Monday someday.
Genius. Pure genius. I love pistachios, and never ever thought to make a simple pistachio muffin to make them shine. I love you.
My husband isn’t huge on muffins, but he LOVES pistachios. I wonder how he would feel bout these!
My LIL food would have to be fresh asparagus. Always had canned as a kid. But I did however love Pistachios even as a kid and they are still my favorite nut, my husband notwithstanding. These look delicious! I love the impromptu liners. I’d have put them in something flowery and pink just to be mean hehehe
I started loving avocados in college and have always loved pistachios! I guess my LIL food is lentils. These sound fabulous, Meagan!
I love pistachios too. I sometimes throw them in my caramel mix and the chewy roastiness is awesome! As a man speaking here…manliners sound like some kind of incontinence device for the male species.
Jusy sayin’
And the award for comment of the week goes to… GERRY OF FOODNESS G!
Keep the LOLs coming, my friend.
I try
but I don’t want to bring your beautiful site down to my level…