Tag Archives: pistachio

Irish Whiskey Cake

17 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Baking, Desserts, Easy, Holidays

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For St. Patrick’s Day, I took our favorite (and super easy) Rum Cake recipe and adapted it with Irish Whiskey and green pistachio pudding to give it a green hue. Say what you will about boxed cake mixes, but the addition of booze sure makes for a moist, rich, and tasty cake! I thought about trying one of those car bomb recipes with whiskey, beer, and irish cream, but the choice was easy when this cake was in the oven in about 10 minutes. When you have a cute baby two feet away it’s hard to concentrate on complicated recipes!

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Pistachio Muffins

17 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Holidays

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Pistachio muffins

Happy St Patrick’s Day! This year I revisited pistachio muffins. I made them a few years ago, but had found a different recipe out there that I wanted to give a shot. Although some people would never use instant pudding mix in a recipe…that has never been beyond me. There are things like rum cake that just wouldn’t be the same without some good ole’ instant pudding thrown in the mix…judge all you want, but there are worse things in the baking world, in my humble opinion…

Pistachio Muffins

Although March 17th is a great day to wear green, eat green things, drink too much, and do everything as the irish would, today I always think of Grammy before anything else. Today would have been her 83rd birthday. I wish I could ask her what she wanted for a birthday breakfast or dinner and make it for her. I wish I could pour us both a glass of wine, and Cheers to everything she did during her short time here. I wish so many things but all I can really do on a day like today is think of her and miss her.

I can also hope instant pudding in muffins wouldn’t offend her. Hey, she was raising five kids through the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s…Even though she is the best cook any of us has ever known I sure wish I could ask her to share some of her retro doozies.

Recipe
Pistachio Muffins
makes about 12-15 muffins
adapted from Hannah Keeley

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 box (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • a few drops of green food coloring
  • 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped/crushed

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and dry pudding mix.

Combine eggs, milk, sour cream, almond extract, and oil; add to dry mixture and mix until just moistened. Stir in green food coloring until combined, then fold in the crushed pistachios.

Fill baking cups until they are almost full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated 375-degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Pistachio Muffins

Pistachio Muffins

12 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Easy

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I got the idea for these back before Valentines Day when I saw green muffins at the Metropolitan Market by my office. They caught my eye for some reason, and upon closer inspection I found they were pistachio muffins. I instantly thought of St. Patrick’s day.

I wanted these to end up greener – they didn’t scream St. Patty’s as much as the ones from Met Market did. Maybe they will give me their recipe…I was secretly hoping I could find it on their website.

There may be a “Pistachio Muffins: Round 2” if I can find a more intriguing recipe. These turned out pretty well…nutty, not super sweet, and good with a little butter (like everything in life).

Recipe

Pistachio Muffins

Makes 12

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1  teaspoon vanilla
  • 1  cup sour cream
  • 5 drops green food coloring
  • 2  cups flour
  • 1  teaspoon baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2  teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shelled pistachios, crushed

Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

To make muffins: Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in sour cream. Add green food coloring.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, nutmeg and salt. Stir in sour cream mixture until combined. Fold in pistachios.

Fill prepared cups two-thirds full with batter.

To make topping: Combine sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.