Lingonberries: Lingonberry Muffins

Lingonberry Muffin

Entertaining

These bright zesty muffins are loaded with lingonberries, accented with orange, and topped with an icy walnut glaze that is sure to delight everyone at your breakfast table, with coffee mid-day, or at tea time.

This recipe was adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Cranberry-Almond Tea Bread ; Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, which, as I have mentioned before, is the must have cookbook for anyone who loves to bake!

Lingonberry Muffins; makes 8         Needed: a muffin baking tray and paper muffin cups

Lingonberries

• 6 ½ oz/190gr/1½ sticks unsalted butter, chilled
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups unbleached pastry flour
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 extra large egg whites
• 1 cup fresh or frozen lingonberries

Topping:

• 1 extra large egg white
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¾ cup of chopped walnuts

Cut the chilled butter into cubes and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the baking soda, lemon zest. and orange zest. Mix on low for a couple of minutes until softened. Add half of the sugar and continue to mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle as needed. Add the egg yolks one at a time until mixed in. Add the orange extract and lemon juice and mix until combined.

Add the flour and yogurt in several additions and mix until combined. The batter will be very stiff, but not to worry! Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl and set aside while you whisk the egg whites.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C

Wash the mixer bowl, removing all traces of butter fat. Dry the bowl and return it to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. If you have a hand held mixer, which is handy in this kind of situation, by all means use it and do the washing up once the muffins are in the oven. Whisk the egg whites, beginning on low and increasing the speed to medium-high once the egg whites are frothy, continuing to whisk until the egg whites peak. Turn the mixer to high and add the remaining sugar in several additions until the egg whites are glossy and stiff.

By hand, fold ½ cup of the whisked egg whites into the batter to loosen it up a bit before continuing to fold in the remaining egg whites in several additions. Take your time, being sure the egg whites are well folded in before adding more. The batter will look somewhat lumpy, but that’s fine. Add the lingonberries and fold in evenly.

Preparing the topping and baking:

Whisk the egg whites by hand until quite frothy. Stir in the sugar and add the chopped walnuts and mix until well combined.

Spoon the batter into paper baking cups, set in a muffin baking tray, to about ¾ full. Smooth the batter in each cup and spoon the topping mixture into each cup.

Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake about 25 to 30 minutes. Test by inserting a thin skewer into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean the muffins are done. Allow the muffins to cool about 5 minutes and then remove the muffins from the baking tray to a cooling rack.

Serve warm or cool completely before storing in an airtight container, or refrigerating, or freezing.