Thanks to Jennifer I recently discovered My Marrakesh and came to know Maryam. We exchanged a few emails, mostly about food. When Maryam said she couldn't buy blueberries in Marrakesh I decided to create a muffin she could make with local ingredients. When I think of Morocco I think of tangines with dried fruits, couscous, preserved lemons, pine nuts and mint tea. These are my blueberry muffins gone Moroccan.
MOROCCAN MUFFINS
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup natural yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped dates
Topping
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
(I meant to include a few slivers of preserved lemon in the topping but forgot. I think it would work quite well)
Preheat oven to 200C
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder together.
Add apricots and dates and mix in.
Blend butter, sugar, yogurt, eggs.
Add to dry ingredients.
Spoon into muffin pans lined with paper cases.
Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins
Bake at 200C for 20 minutes or until cooked.
Serve warm with butter.
