Unique Muffin flavours

[cleopatra999]

I am experimenting with muffins. I have a great base recipe now I am looking for various flavours. Especially ones that involve interesting spice/fruit combos. I just made a ginger peach muffin, in the past I have done cherry, coconut, lemon. I am working my way through some seasonal fruit. What do you think would work with cardamom? maybe pear or apple? what about some savory herbs like rosemary or thyme? Looking for sweet not savory muffins though. thanks for the ideas! PS. nuts and vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, squash are all good too!

[nomadchowwoman]

Cardamom w/apple, pear, peach, blueberry,carrot, sweet potato, cherry + walnuts, pecans, or pistachios
Thyme or rosemary w/lemon, orange, cranberry + pine nuts

[cleopatra999]

I really want to try rosemary, with lemon sounds lovely. How do you suggest I use the rosemary? little dried bits of rosemary don't appeal to me in a muffin. I am thinking use fresh and chop very fine? what about infusing the 1/2 cup of oil with rosemary beforehand? how long would that take, and would it impart enough flavour?

[nomadchowwoman]

I probably would chop fresh rosemary very fine, but I like the idea, too, of steeping rosemary in your oil. I've never tried it so not sure how it would translate. Another thought that occurs to me is sticking a few sprigs of the fresh herb in a small jar of sugar that you would use in your recipe, much in the way one would use spent vanilla beans to make vanilla sugar.

[buttertart]

Thyme with plums is very nice too.

[nomadchowwoman]

Yes, thyme really complements so many fruits--it's good w/apples and pears too. I love it.

[castiron]

I make rosemary ginger snaps at christmas every year. The recipe is from a king arthur's book- I wouldn't have guessed rosemary and ginger go so well together but they do! maybe to translate it to a muffin add some pine nuts and lemon zest?

[katecm]

This weekend, I made the peppadew/feta/spinach muffins from, I think, Bon Appetit. The flavor combination was excellent. In addition to those mix-ins, it had a teaspoon of paprika.

[Pia]

Those sound great but... 1/4 cup of sugar in savory muffins? Were they at all sweet?

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/201...

[katecm]

Not sweet at all. It all worked together beautifully. I may throw a little bacon in next time, just to really push it over the edge, since I served them as bacon/muffin sandwiches.

[blinknoodle]

I am not sure if these are really unique, but I liked the addition of allspice to a chocolate zucchini muffin:
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/chocolate-zucchini-muffins/

If you liked peach and ginger, you might like apricot and ginger too:
http://spoonwithme.wordpress.com/2010...

[Breadcrumbs]

What about chai tea....w peach or fig would be nice.

[cleopatra999]

chai tea is an interesting idea. Do you mean with the tea flavor and all? or just chai tea spices?

[Breadcrumbs]

Hi there,
Either would work. I was thinking of the tea flavour too though. When done well, the tea flavour is really terrific and adds a different profile to foods. A good example would be the Green Tea and Honey Hagen Daz ice cream.

FYI, Starbucks has a Chai Tea liquid concentrate. I used this as a sub for some of the cream to flavour custards on the weekend and it turned out quite well.

[cleopatra999]

the concentrate is a great idea, I was trying to think of how to make this. I usually have a yogurt muffin that I use, I guess I would need less yogurt with the added liquid, and less sugar too, as those concentrates are chock full of sugar.

[Breadcrumbs]

Definitely reduce the sugar too cleo... The flavour is pretty concentrated so the reduction in your yogurt will likely be negligible.

[cleopatra999]

I think zucchini chai could be an interesting combo, or definitely apple chai, or squash chai

[Antilope]

I make doughnut flavored muffins by adding nutmeg, mace and vanilla to the batter and coating the tops with cinnamon sugar. Another muffin I make includes orange juice (or oj concentrate from frozen), orange zest and golden raisins.

Does anyone have a recipe for a muffin with a Panettone like flavor?

[Caitlin McGrath]

You might want to try using some fiori di sicilia, which is a mild vanilla-citrus flavoring that is apparently the traditional flavoring used in panettone; definitely gives a je ne sais quois to baked goods. King Arthur Flour sells it through their baker's catalog/website. Add to a basic muffin recipe you like, along with candied peel and fruit, maybe.

[mollyomormon]

I recently made a peach thyme jam and loved the combination. I would love to taste similar flavors in a muffin. I also did a rhubarb rosemary that turned out really well.