One of the many things I love about life in Israel is that here you really LIVE the chaggim. The municipalities wait until the week before Succoth before trimming the cities' palm trees so that residents of the suburb can collect free fronds to build their succahs. The sweet smell of sufganiot hangs in the air for weeks in the countdown to Chanukah. Come Pesach and you have to avoid bumping your shopping cart into the towering wall of matzo boxes that line the entrance to the supermarket. And you always know when Shavuot is approaching by the launch of countless new cheeses advertised endlessly on television and in newspapers.
All the hype around these festivals pales in comparison to the build-up to Rosh Hashanah, however, as the entire country prepares to celebrate another sweet New Year and images of apples, honey and pomegranates abound.
These simply scrumptious Spiced Apple & Pecan Muffins will ease you into the mood of this much anticipated chag which....at the time of writing...is just a little more than two, short weeks away.
A SWEET NEW YEAR SPICED APPLE MUFFINS
100 grams butter
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 red apples, peeled and chopped
STREUSEL APPLE, PECAN & CINNAMON TOPPING
1/3 cup chopped pecan nuts
2/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 red apple, peeled and grated
1: Mix the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and baking powder.
2:: Melt the butter and add the milk and beaten eggs and then stir this wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
3: Be VERY careful not to overstir or muffins will be heavy - just a few turns of the spoon so that ingredients are incorporated but mixture is still slightly lumpy is ideal.
4: Stir the 2 chopped apples into the batter and half-fill lined muffin tins..
5: Combine 2/3 cup of sugar, nuts and the cinnamon and sprinkle very generously over half-filled muffins.
6: Divide remaining batter between the tins and then top with remaining streusel cinnamon topping and sprinkle grated apple over muffins.
7: Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes until golden.
COOK'S NOTES: Green apples may replace red for a slighter more tart flavor and pecans can be replaced with walnuts or coconut or left out altogether.
All the hype around these festivals pales in comparison to the build-up to Rosh Hashanah, however, as the entire country prepares to celebrate another sweet New Year and images of apples, honey and pomegranates abound.
These simply scrumptious Spiced Apple & Pecan Muffins will ease you into the mood of this much anticipated chag which....at the time of writing...is just a little more than two, short weeks away.
A SWEET NEW YEAR SPICED APPLE MUFFINS
100 grams butter
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 red apples, peeled and chopped
STREUSEL APPLE, PECAN & CINNAMON TOPPING
1/3 cup chopped pecan nuts
2/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 red apple, peeled and grated
1: Mix the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and baking powder.
2:: Melt the butter and add the milk and beaten eggs and then stir this wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
3: Be VERY careful not to overstir or muffins will be heavy - just a few turns of the spoon so that ingredients are incorporated but mixture is still slightly lumpy is ideal.
4: Stir the 2 chopped apples into the batter and half-fill lined muffin tins..
5: Combine 2/3 cup of sugar, nuts and the cinnamon and sprinkle very generously over half-filled muffins.
6: Divide remaining batter between the tins and then top with remaining streusel cinnamon topping and sprinkle grated apple over muffins.
7: Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes until golden.
COOK'S NOTES: Green apples may replace red for a slighter more tart flavor and pecans can be replaced with walnuts or coconut or left out altogether.