Cherry & Almond Muffins

Cherry & Almond Muffins are a little burst of summer that you can enjoy in winter and you can use almond meal left over from making Almond Milk.

Cherries are a favourite of mine but the season is so short. I try to extend enjoyment of them by freezing or preserving them so that I can use them throughout the year. When I had some almond meal left over from making Almond Milk, I immediately thought of my cherries in the freezer and of making muffins. You could use tinned cherries instead if you don’t have fresh or frozen.

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup yoghurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and halved (adding them frozen reduces the amount of ‘staining’ from the juice)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (plus extra to sprinkle on top)
* you can replace some of the flour or the slivered almonds with almond meal left over from making almond milk

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In a medium bowl, mix egg, yoghurt, oil, and vanilla and almond extracts. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in cherries and almonds. Do not overmix.
Spoon mixture into greased or lined muffin pans and sprinkle with almonds if desired. Bake at 190C for 15-20 minutes until brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before moving muffins to a wire rack to cool.