Maple sugar muffins

Choosing this recipe came largely from David's comment that we had a lot of maple syrup on hand that we should try to use up. It was a happy coincidence that it happened to be a recipe listed in my muffin's book global section from "Canada", though perhaps that's not surprising.

Recipe

from 750 Best Muffin RecipesMakes 1 dozen1¾ cup all-purpose flour2 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda½ tsp salt1 egg1 cup pure maple syrup, divided1 cup sour cream½ cup unsalted butter, melted¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted¼ cup confectioners' (icing) sugarPreheat oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, ¾ cup maple syrup, sour cream and butter until well blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Gently fold in walnuts. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups.Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 3 minutes, then transfer to the rack. In a shallow microwave-safe dish, microwave the remaining maple syrup on High for 15 seconds or until heated. Dip warm muffin tops in warm syrup, then dust with confectioners' sugar. Return to rack and let cool.

Musings

These muffins were quite delightful--just a touch of crispiness on the outside giving way to a lovely moist texture on the inside. David and I both noted that they could've been a tiny bit sweeter, although that may have stemmed from my not toasting the walnuts quite long enough. All in all, they had a nice round flavour, and I liked that they weren't overly sweet tasting. The icing sugar dusted on top made for a pretty, wintery finish, and my rows of sugar-dusted muffins were highly reminiscent of the snow-dusted mountain tops. A perfect breakfast for a winter morning!