Freshly baked apricot and sultana muffins are a real favorite at our place. Sometimes I add granulated walnuts to the mix but usually it’s just the basic apricot and sultana muffin recipe.

Glazing with warm confectioners’ sugar water will give the muffins that “just eat me” look. The best time to brush the apricot and sultana muffins is just after they come out of the oven and prior to being taken out of the muffin tray.

Ingredients

• 1¾ Cups of Cake Flour
• 4 Ounces of Unsalted Butter
• ½ Cup each of Sultanas and Dried Apricots
• ¾ Cup each of Full Cream Milk and Sugar
• ¼ Cup of Sour Cream
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Large Egg Yolk
• 2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon each of Cream of Tartar and Sea Salt Rocks

Method

• Allow the eggs and the unsalted butter to warm to room temperature
• Finely crush and grind the sea salt rocks
• Set rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Line 18 standard 2½ inch diameter muffin cups with paper cups. You may elect to use cooking spray instead. The paper cup method is great if you are going to be including the apricot and sultana muffins in your lunch or for the kids to take to school.

1. Now finely sift the dry ingredients all together (the cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt). Do this three times. Leave the now finely sifted dry ingredients in the sifter or strainer and set aside on a piece of wax paper.
2. Dice the dried apricots into pieces roughly the same size as the sultanas
3. Put the sultanas and diced apricots into a mixing bowl and very lightly mist with a little water
4. Now add two tablespoons of the finely sifted dry ingredients. Toss the fruit ever so lightly so that it becomes lightly coated with the dry ingredients mix (usually takes around 30 seconds).
5. In another bowl mix the milk and sour cream together and set aside for now

Mix Batter

1. Use the paddle attachment with your mixer
2. Add the butter to your mixer bowl and mix on medium speed until the butter becomes pale white (around 3 minutes)
3. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating on medium until the mixture is no longer grainy (about 3 minutes). Scrap down the paddle and sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Separate the yolk from the white of the one egg and just add the yolk. Then add the whole of the second egg. Doing it in this order has the advantage that if you mess up the first separation you have a second shot. Beat the mix until it is nice and fluffy (usually takes another 3 minutes).
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift in half of the dry ingredients mixture you have already prepared. Then add half of the milk and sour cream mix to the bowl and use a large rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together. Stop when the ingredients are just barely combined.
6. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and then; while gently folding the mix with your rubber spatula, add the rest of the milk and sour cream mixture to the bowl. Continue folding until mixed.
7. Once done gradually sprinkle in the sultanas and diced apricot pieces as you continue your folding. You can stop when everything is just mixed in or if you prefer continue a little longer until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. This decision is up to you.
8. Spoon the batter mixture into your muffin tins or paper cups. Fill each about ¾ full with the apricot and sultana muffin batter.

Cooking

1. Put the apricot and sultana muffins into the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes. You will know when they are done as the tops which will be flat will have turned a lovely golden brown and will be springy when lightly pressed.
2. I like to lightly dust the muffins with fine confectioners’ sugar or brush with a confectioners’ sugar glaze just before turning the muffins out of the tins to cool. This gives them a real sheen that always meets with envious looks. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, consuming, packing or storing for longevity.

Tips

If you are using muffin trays with 12 cups per tray then you will only be filling half of one of the trays. In this case it is best to alternate with apricot and sultana muffin mix in one cup and ¾ fill the next with water. Thus you will have six cups with muffin mix and 6 with water. This will help the muffins to cook more evenly.

Muffins can be placed in airtight freezer bags and frozen until required. Thaw to room temperature while still in the bags.