| Home | Features | Cooking Dictionary | Cook-&-Book Reviews | Read the Articles |

Appetizer Recipes Bar & Brownie Recipes Beef & Veal Recipes Beverage & Drink Recipes Bread Recipes Breakfast Recipes Cake & Frosting Recipes Candy Recipes Chicken Recipes Cookie Recipes Dessert Recipes Ground Meat & Sausage Holiday Recipes International Recipes Lamb Recipes Pet Recipes Pie & Pie Crust Recipes Pork & Ham Recipes Salad & Dressing Recipes Sandwich Recipes Sauce & Condiment Recipes Seafood & Fish Recipes Sidedish Recipes Soup & Stew Recipes Special Diets Recipes Turkey Recipes Vegetarian Entree Recipes Wild Game Recipes

All the flavors of the holidays are wrapped up in these tasty muffins. Try one to get you in the mood for that last minute gift-wrapping marathon.

Holiday Muffins

1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons rum
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground California pistachios
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped California pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
2. Beat butter with sugar and vanilla until creamy and light-colored. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in milk and rum.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, salt, spices and lemon peel. Add this mixture to the butter-sugar mixture just until blended (don’t overmix). Lightly fold in 1/4 cup chopped pistachios.
4. Grease 12 muffin cups or line cups with muffin papers. Evenly portion batter into cups. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chopped pistachios.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of the California Pistachio Commission.