Olive Oil Muffins

These muffins have been requested multiple times since I first made them two weeks ago. They freeze well but keep disappearing from the freezer since they are so delicious. I have it on good authority that they taste buttery and one of my very confused children asked me if they were dairy (knowing that I NEVER bake anything dairy being allergic to it myself). The olive oil really adds to the flavor of these muffins. See the note at the bottom of the recipe for guidance in choosing the right oil. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil*
1 cup parve milk ( I used soy milk)
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup sliced almonds
Additional almonds for sprinkling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375
Prepare a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners. I like to spray the liners lightly with nonstick cooking spray to be sure they come off the muffins easily after baking. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder and sea salt and set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients besides the almonds.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and with a rubber spatula mix gently, folding, until almost fully combined. Add 2/3 cup almonds and mix until there are no visible pockets of flour. Do NOT overmix or your muffins will be tough!

Using an ice cream scoop divide batter between 12 liners. Your muffin liners will be almost full. Sprinkle tops of muffins generously with sliced almonds.

Bake at 375 for 16-20 minutes
Check for doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok) your muffins are done. Remove muffins to cool on a rack as soon as you can handle them so they do not steam in the pan and become soggy.

Use a REAL muffin tin for this recipe! Disposable muffin tins do not bake as evenly. If you must use a disposable one the muffins may need to bake longer.

* TASTE the olive oil you are using in the recipe! The oil really adds flavor to the muffins so make sure you like it! Also, olive oil is best used fresh so don't save it for years! I like a less spicy oil for this recipe than I prefer for something like roasted vegetables. Different olive oils can taste different depending on what variety of olives they are made from, where they are grown and even the specific growing conditions that year!