Muffins are one of the world’s most-loved baked treats. American-style muffins were originally a kind of 'quick bread' made in individual molds which we now call muffin pans. Unlike standard bread which is yeast-leavened, quick breads are chemically leavened.
This practice was developed somewhere near the end of the 18th century in America. Today, muffins come in a huge variety of flavors, shapes, sizes, and styles. They can be savory or sweet, healthy or indulgent.
Apple cardamom muffins utilize the delicious flavor of apples and the spiciness of cardamom. Apples are great in muffin recipes because they provide moisture together with natural sweetness, reducing the need for extra sugar. Apples are also super easy to source and generally very affordable.
Cardomom is a wonderful spice that has been used in food and medicine for at least 4000 years. Ancient Egyptians used Cardamom in rituals, embalming, and even to keep their breath fresh. Later, the Greeks and Romans used Cardamom for its distinctive aroma, adding it to perfumes and oils.
Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines are particularly famous for adding cardamom to curries, desserts, and other traditional dishes. Cardamom is also popular throughout Asia in traditional teas and spice blends. Many Scandinavian recipes use it in recipes such as mulled wine and glogg, as well as various sweet pastries and bread dishes.
It’s fairly easy to find green cardamom in grocery stores. It’s usually available as ground cardamom and whole pods. While ground cardamom is convenient to have on hand for baking, it soon loses flavor after grinding. To appreciate cardamom's true flavor, purchase whole pods. To use, simply crack the pods open, remove the inner seeds and grind them in a spice mill, electric coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
About 10 fresh cardamom pods yield enough seeds for about one teaspoon of ground cardamom.
Lightly sweet with apples, slightly exotic with fresh ground cardamom, these muffins make a great alternative for breakfast, brunch or a grab-and-go snack.