On dit muffins (mu- like in déjà vu) pour “muffins” (We Say Muffins for Muffins)
I do not know if I remember the first time I ate a muffin. But there is one thing I remember: the first time Genevière, my sister-in-law, pronounced the word “muffin”.
Geneviève : Béa, tu aimes les muuuuuffins ?
Moi : Les quoi ?
G : Mais tu sais bien. Les gâteaux américains, les muuuffins !
M. : Ah tu veux dire muffins !
G.: Béa, do you like muffins ?
Me: Do I like what?
G: You know, muffins, the American cakes!
M.: Ah, you mean muffins!
She was using the right word, I acknowledge, but with such a different pronunciation! For a muffin in French is un muffin. However, with Geneviève, the Frenchie who cannot be more French, the English “u” sound had disappeared to become the regular French “u” sound, so much so that I clearly had no clue what she was talking about. I guess I was expecting a French word, and not an English word with a French pronunciation. As much as I have the knowledge — I think — of the two languages, I was lost and did not know what she meant.
And I like muffins!
I think I really started to get hooked on muffins when I lived in New Zealand. Although the most commonly known are sweet muffins, I discovered savory flavors that I absolutely adored. No matter what ingredients they included, from spinach, feta, sun-dried tomatos, smoked salmon, to cheese, they were all irresistibly delicious. At some point, I stopped counting the many lunches I had made of a soup, salad, and a savory muffin. I find muffins lovely as snacks, savory or sweet. Why I do not make them often is a different question. No particular reason beside that I just do not think about making them. Perhaps it is in the genes, you know. I would think about making crêpes, a lot and often sans problème (no problem), toujours (always), but not about baking muffins. It is just an odd thing.
So why not change that, I thought? Since I like them, I can make them too!
In one of my recent posts, Jeff commented on my chocolate cupackes, suggesting that I should try to make a white chocolate icing. Which is where my inspiration to make muffins started.
I had decided that with the muffins, I was going to make icing. Which one though, I wondered? A complex one as suggested by some of you? With butter? Buttercream? Cream cheese? I can admit it, I am intrigued about icing, even if I know little about it, finding it too sweet most of the time. In fact, to me, dessert should rather be light on the sweetness as I particularly dislike desserts that are overwhelmingly rich and really sweet. After putting some thought into the how to make a white chocolate icing, and still shy to try richer and more buttery types of icing, I went for simplicity. My white chocolate icing would just be plain white chocolate flavored with vanilla: melt the chocolate, add a vanilla pod to add flavor, spread it over the muffins and see what happens. Would it work? Would it ice? As easy as it looks to many, I had all those questions and was keen to see the result, because I had no idea.
White chocolate muffins with White Chocolate Icing and pistachios.
And it worked. I know that the skills involved into the making of this icing are truly minimal, but no matter what, it made my day. The muffins were easy to make, tested and approved. Twelve of them though. The question as to what I was going to do with them arose. P. and I would simply not be able to eat twelve muffins between the two of us, even if taken over the course of a few days.
Then I remembered. Didn’t my lovely Canadian friend Ivonne talk about a party where food was needed? Did I hear about an outdoor fiesta to celebrate the end of summer? I imagined that Ivonne and Lis would not mind that I bring some of my white chocolate muffins, would they?
Et que la fête commence ! (Let the feast start!)
You need:
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 3.5 oz sugar (1/2 cup)
- 3.5 oz butter, melted
- 3.5 oz white chocolate, grated (I use Valrhona)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 6 oz flour (1 cup + 1 Tbsp)
Icing
- 3.5 oz white chocolate (I use Valrhona)
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- Unsalted pistachios, chopped
Steps:
For the muffins:
- Preheat your oven at 350 F.
- Sift the flour and baking powder.
- Add the sugar and grated white chocolate. Mix well.
- Melt the butter. Beat the eggs with it and add the yogurt. Mix well, then add to the dry preparation.
- Place paper cups in a muffin pan (or use silicone molds) and divide the preparation between the molds.
- Cook in the oven for about 25 min or so.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, before unmolding on a cooling rack (If using silicone molds)
For the icing
- Chop the chocolate in small pieces.
- Slice the vanilla pod in two halves and scrap the seeds out.
- Melt the chocolate with the vanilla seeds using the bain-marie technique (in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water).
- Use a spatula to spread over the muffins.
- When a little cooler, add the chopped pistachios and some shaved chocolate.
- Place in the fridge to help the icing set.
Ingredients :
- 2 oeufs
- 1,5 càc de levure chimique
- 100 g sucre fin
- 100 g beurre, fondu
- 100 g chocolat blanc, râpé (J’utilise la marque Valrhona)
- 50 ml yaourt nature
- 160 g farine
Glaçage
- 100 g chocolat blanc (J’utilise la marque Valrhona)
- 1/2 gousse de vanille
- Pistaches vertes non salées, concassées
Étapes :
Pour les muffins :
- Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
- Tamisez la farine et la levure chimique.
- Ajoutez le sucre et le chocolat râpé. Mélangez bien.
- Faites fondre le beurre dans une casserole. Battez les oeufs et ajoutez-les au beurre, avec le yaourt. Mélangez bien et ajoutez à la preparation sèche.
- Placez des moules en papier dans un moule à muffins (ou utilisez des petits moules en silicone) et répartissez votre pâte entre les moules.
- Cuisez au four pendant 25 mns environ.
- Sortez du four et laissez refroidir avant de les démouler sur une grille (si vous utilisez des moules en silicone).
Pour le glaçage
- Cassez le chocolat en morceaux.
- Fendez la gousse de vanille en deux et raclez-en l’intérieur.
- Faites fondre le chocolat avec la vanille au bain-marie.
- Utilisez une spatule à gâteau pour glacer les muffins avec le chocolat fondu.
- Une fois que le glaçage a refroidi, ajoutez des pistaches concassées et quelques copeaux de chocolat blanc supplémentaires.
- Placez-les au frais pour que le glaçage prenne mieux.
I love the little spec’s of vanilla and the green adds a great contrast! Just because something may be easy doesn’t mean it is bad, right? 🙂
Béa, consider me first in line for your muffins at the party. They look lovely.
And yes, the heirlooms look cute and taste terrific!
Hmmmm … let me think about this … do I mind if my lovely Béa brings muffins with white chocolate icing to La Festa al Fresco …
Ahhh … NOOOOOOOOOOOO! We do not mind at all. In fact, we are quite honoured. I love that the muffins are mini as, to be honest, I prefer mini muffins. Besides being so cute, they are perfectly bite-sized. Which of course means you can eat more!
And anything with white chocolate icing is a hit for me.
Thank you so much for coming the festa, Béa! Your muffins will have a place of honour at our table (and hopefully will be right by where I am sitting!)
Baci!
Not a big fan of white chocolate, but these look pretty!
Look so lovely and inviting! How does the muffins taste like? Are they moist?
What wonderful “american cakes” ! j’ai trouvé ça très drole!
oh bea, this is gorgeous. You know how to make me swoon, i just adore cupcakes. I think its time to start making some again : )
oh my god !!!! tout simplement !
another funny coincidence, bea – i, too just made white chocolate muffins and will be posting soon, haha! yours look lovely. the pistachios are a pretty addition!
c’ est presque un cupcake 🙂
Très joli site ! superbe recette.. miaam
ça y est les muffins fleurissent en ce moment Lili, Kat, toi….bon, j’en ai fait, mais je n’ai pas mis de post !!!En tout cas toute simple ton idée de glaçage et finallement très bien !
Chocolat blanc et pistaches!!! J’aime!
Comme Choupette, j’aime beaucoup ton glaçage ( et tes photos).
Magnifique et so British, les caissetes en papier sont top.
je n’ai encore jamais retrouvé l’exacte saveur des trop nombreux muffins dévorés il y a des années à Baltimore, ta recette diffère de celle que je réalise habituellement et je sens qu’il faut que je la teste… surtout quand je vois tes merveilles !!
Your white chocolate icing is perfect !
Love, love the pictures – so beautiful! Isn’t it funny how we can love to eat something but just not consider making it ourselves, even if it’s dead easy? Seems that in addition to food prejudices we can have cooking prejudices…
C’est trop beau Béa, un vrai rayon de soleil
I think I love muffins as much as you do! But these muffins that you made look excellent! They would be dangerous to have around my household!
Very cute, Bea! The green shows up so beautifully!
I will fight anyone for those muffins! 🙂 They look so yummy, Bea. You did it again!!
Tes muffins me font penser a de superbes cupcakes! c’est quoi déjà la différence?
Superbe de toute facon.
Bea you blog so much beautiful things for me – i’m litteraly craving those cupcakes.
Fanny
Encore une delicieuse recette que je vais garder precieusement, j’ai justement du chocolat blanc a utiliser…
Bea.. I have a problem. Your recipe calls for 12 mini muffins. That will work for me fine, but there will not be enough everyone else at the party! I have elbows and I know how to use them! hehee These make my mouth water! Thank you so much for bringing them to the party!
Très beau!
Digne de cupcake bakeshop 😉
What wonderful muffins – the white chocolate icing with the tiny black vanilla seeds looks stunning, and how I wish Ivonne’s party were a thing in real life so I could get my hands on some!
Muffins look very tasty – I like that sprinkling of pistachios on top. I just wish I knew where to get these gorgeous muffin papercups in the UK -they’re wonderfully stylish!
http://www.muffinfilms.com/
for muffins’s fan….
Enjoy !
Corinne
Ah – too cute! How ever you pronounce it, your muffins look marvelous, Darling!
Hi Jeff, yes I agree. Easy and good are great criteria!
Tanna, aha you are in line!
Ivonne, mon c’est mon plaisir ma chère. Happy to see you will sit next to them to keep an eye on them!
Kat, well you know, white chocolate is not my fav either but in these, it is subtle.
Jacelyn, they are moist indeed.
Adèle, ah mais que oui, les muuuffins! 😉
La Fée maison, merci!
Iamchanelle, oh, I want to see yours!
Ellie, mais oui, tu as raison. Ils sont cousins 😉
Virginie, merci.
Mercotte, ici, c’est toujours la saison 😉
Choupette, 😉
Hélène, merci à toi.
Mamina, ah oui moi aussi je préfère ce genre de caissettes.
ALhya, je suis impatiente de savoir ce que tu en penses.
Fabienne, thank you!
Melissa, ah yes you are right. It just hit me and then I thought: “but why not make them?”
Sophie, merci. On en a plein!
Dianka, ahahh, really?
Anita, thank you!
Sher, you would not, would you? 😉
Texmex, pas de vrai diff, sauf pour les puristes, j’imagine ! Pas moi en tout cas. 😉
Fanny, ahah you are funny!
Gracianne, ah ben voilà qui est fait !
Lis, you are a fighter!
Ooishigal, ahah merci.
Ellie, ah yes, I wish this party was real as well. We can all fly to Toronto.
Pille, did you try online?
Thanks Corinne. I had a look. Funny!
Karina, so you do not mind if we butcher the name? 😉 Oh good then, you can have more!
I love the combo of white chocolate and pistachios…yummy.
Yummy! Those photos are making me hungry.
Bea, very intelligent association – white flower bush and your muffins! Love them!
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These are my favourite muffins . I like your photos and the matching flowers!
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je viens de les tester. ils sont à tomber. j’ai juste rajouté dans la pâte 20 g d’amandes grillées. Super muffins
I know this is a very old post and I am new at this. I hope that you get my comment. Your muffins look absolutely beautiful. Where do you get your paper cups. I have looked all over for them and have not been able to find them. I live in Canada. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Shannon,
Thank you. I had purchased these online.
You can find mine following this link
Hi Bea. I just tried your muffin recipe and I’m completely blown away – tres incroyable!! Thank you for your beautiful blog.
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Mmh je viens de les tester aussi, quelle merveille! Délicieux, tendres, aériens… à refaire très très vite! J’en parle sur mon blog alors je me suis permis de donner le lien vers ta recette!
Hello, im from Chile and i love your blog! and your delicious recipes
please write in spanish too!
Thanks! bye
These muffins looked so magical…. I made them…. And they tasted magical too! Merci! 🙂
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Je viens de goûter le premier de la fournée – j’ai ajouté un peu de romarin et de noix de coco, et une demi pomme coupée en dés. Et zappé le glaçage parce que je voulais y goûter tout de suite 😉
yummy-yummy in my tummy!
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