22 June 2008

Mango muffin madness





I was a little excited to see rips mangoes last week at Costco, and I bought one of those giant racks o' fruit that only make sense if you are a catering business. I adore mangoes. Even slicing them is like an act of love, diving into a fruit that clings to its pit and removing the juiciest pulp known to humankind. I used to be intimidated by mangoes because I was never sure whether or not they were ripe, or if I was cutting them correctly, but after many a mango session in my kitchen, I have perfected the art of extracting heaven from a piece of fruit.



But what to do with a million mangoes nearing their prime???!! Well, muffins of course! I thought about a bundt cake but there's something magical about muffins. Compact, perfectly portioned and tasty, I have baked just about anything into a muffin for kicks. Plantains, black beans, ham and cheese have all made it into my muffin tin. After a quick search on the interwebs, I found what looked like an awesome recipe on recipezaar and adapted it to my needs (I always use whole wheat flour so they're a write-off in the breakfast category). I'm definitely saving this recipe--the muffins came out fluffy, quasi-cakey and healthy. Nom nom.




Mango Muffins (adapted from http://www.recipezaar.com/5453)
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used a canola/vegetable oil blend)
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1 egg
1 1/2 cup mango puree

Mix wet ingredients and dry separately, then combine. Don't overmix! 400 degree for 10-12 minutes does the trick.