Deli-Style Pistachio Muffins
Time:
45 minutes
Difficulty:
Easy
Loot
15-18 muffins
I have the cinematic masterpiece, Cars 2, to thank for this recipe.
“Whatever you do, do not eat the pistachio ice cream. It has turned (turned, turned…).”
If you know, you know. Pistachio muffins have a place in my heart similar to that of the cherry almonds I baked a few months back. I was always hypnotized by how the Jewel Osco grocery store bakers were able to produce this moist, buzzy green cake, then perfectly case it with a crumbly golden exterior. The perfect bite had a little bit of that crispy shimmer sugar on top, a rich, tender mouthful of fragrant cake, and a few pops of pistachio crumble – made slightly soft and fruity by the booziness of the almond scented pastry. After my brother and I grew a bit though, and our family soon had to part ways with Jewel for a Costco membership, these muffins fell off the radar for a little while.
But on a recent trip to New York, I couldn’t step into a single deli, bodega, or corner store without seeing at least a dozen of these in crinkly cellophane wrapping. So after the fourth or fifth store, I finally decided to listen to the universe screaming at me that it was time to get reacquainted.
The verdict? Even better than I remember. There are a few annoying steps since a lot of moist muffins and cakes are really pissy about temperature, but if you follow through my steps, you won’t believe how soft these will be.
Word to the Wise
No nonfat greek yogurt? I know, I know, I said no skim milk. Thanks for listening. Here’s what to do:
Take out the nonfat greek yogurt and the heavy whipping cream, and sub with ½ cup full fat sour cream.
If no whole milk, do a 1:1 mix of water and heavy whipping cream. This is essentially what milk is. It’s cream (the fat), watered down to be drinkable and not heart attack inducing. This will get a similar flavor.
Cool your butter all the way. Seriously, I mean it. I recommend melting the butter first, because if you drizzle it on your eggs too early, you’ll go from pistachio muffins to a McMuffin just like that.
Get all the dairy ready first. Melt the butter, combine the yogurt+heavy cream, take out the sour cream and get it to room temp, etc. The dairy stuff is the most finicky with the temperature, and for good reason. It creates a smoother, more tender batter that gives you that fluffy muffin texture despite the muffin’s fat content. Trust the process.
Get some chopped pistachios. This is totally optional (and definitely expensive if you don’t have ‘em on hand) but will really elevate the experience. So if you have some leftovers from the Dubai Chocolate trend, sprinkle some on top with the turbinado sugar. It’ll really elevate the experience.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pack instant pistachio pudding mix (3.4oz)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup nonfat greek yogurt, room temperature
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, room temperature
⅓ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon almond extract
⅓ cup turbinado sugar (for topping)
Instructions
In a microwave safe bowl/measuring cup, take your butter and melt it for about 1 minute. Set it to the side to cool.
Fill a small bowl with lukewarm water. Place your eggs in here and make sure they are fully submerged.
In a separate dish, scoop out your greek yogurt, and add in your heavy whipping cream. Let this sit out to get to room temperature.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your flour, pistachio pudding mix, salt, and baking powder. Set this aside for now.
Once your butter is cooled to room temperature, cream together your butter, oil, and sugar in a stand mixer until combined.
Ensuring your eggs are room temperature (no longer cold to the touch). One at a time, crack and add each one to the bowl, and stir until just incorporated on low speed.
To your wet mixture, stir in your yogurt-cream mix, whole milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined. The batter should be smooth and drippy. If there are a few granules or chunks, it’s likely just the yogurt. Gently fold and stir with a spatula until it dissolves.
In three parts, pour your dry ingredient mixture into your wet ingredients. After each addition, mix on low speed and ensure it is just combined. Do not overmix—the batter will be thick. This is exactly what we want.
Once you finish, be sure to scrape down to the bottom and sides of the bowl incorporate any flour that may have sunk.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. While you wait, line your muffin tins, and scoop the batter evenly into each of your little divots.
Sprinkle the top of your muffins with your turbinado and crushed pistachios if available. (You can skip this step if you want)
Put your muffins in the oven and bake for 5 minutes
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (without opening the oven door) and bake for an additional 13–15 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick/chopstick test. Try to go around 14 minutes or more to get a good browning.
Serving
Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool completely on the wire rack. Store in an air-tight container with paper-towels on the bottom to keep them moist.