Jane’s Sweets & Baking Journal -- janessweets.blogspot.com -- August 2012

(This is an original, unadapted recipe.)

Hearty Big-Top Nectarine Muffins with Marcona Almonds

Yield: 12 very generous standard size muffins

1 and 1/3 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt (Stir in a tablespoon or so of milk if it's thick yogurt.)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons canola oil

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 large (or 2 medium size) ripe nectarine, peeled, and cut into very small chunks (You'll need about one generous cup of chunks.)

3 and 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (If you omit this, add in the same amount of another flour.)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon of sea salt or coarse kosher salt

2 pinches of ground cinnamon

A few scrapings of fresh nutmeg, or about 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the top of the muffins:

1/2 cup salted, unblanched, Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped (Trader Joe’s sells them.)

1/4 cup turbinado sugar (If you don't have this, you can instead use Demerara sugar, sanding/coarse sugar, or regular granulated sugar.)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a 12-cup standard size muffin pan, and also grease the top of the pan (I even use baking spray on top of all this, whenever I'm not using paper liners); or use paper liners and grease just the top of the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In another large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, yogurt, lemon juice, oil, and eggs. Stir until well combined, then add in the nectarine chunks.

Make a well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients, pour in all of the wet ingredients, and stir just until barely combined. It's okay if a few small streaks of flour are visible. Using a portion scoop, distribute the batter equally into the muffin cups, heaping them high. Sprinkle the tops first with chopped almonds, and then with turbinado sugar.

Bake for about 20 minutes or more, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, the muffins are golden brown, and a finger pressed gently on the top of a muffin springs back. Let the muffins cool for about five minutes in the pan on a rack, then remove them to cool further on the rack.