Plum and pistachio almond meal muffins: wheat-free and dairy-free

I recently made these plum and pistachio almond meal muffins for a friend who has coeliac disease.

I like to bake nutritious treats for my kids to pack in their school lunches. However, most of these contain wheat flour. So it’s been fun to tinker with this recipe.

Not only are the muffins wheat-free, but they are dairy-free, too.

I love the delicate flavour of the orange blossom water. Cardamom has a strong, distinctive flavour, so do leave it out if you don’t like it.

You might like to add another spice instead, such as cinnamon or mixed spice.

The recipe uses the last of this season’s plums. When cooked, plums have a lovely jammy consistency.

I think other fruits, such as pears or blackberries, would work well, too. You could also swap out the pistachios for hazelnuts or walnuts if you like.

Eat the plum and pistachios muffins just as they are, with a cup of tea, or serve them with a dollop of yoghurt to make them more of a dessert if you like.

What is orange blossom water?

Orange blossom water, or orange flower water, is a clear aromatic by-product of the distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms for their essential oil.

This water has long been used in Middle Eastern cuisines, to perfume sugar syrups used in sweets and pastries, and to flavour drinks. It has a strong floral flavour, so you don’t need to use need much.

The origin of orange blossom water

Seville oranges are believed to have originated from Southeast Asia. They were brought to the Middle East and North Africa, and then introduced to Spain by Moorish invaders in the 8th century.

Orange blossom water was most likely first used in perfumes and for medicinal purposes before it was introduced to cooking. It’s most prominently used in Middle Eastern and North African cuisines.

Orange blossom water is also used in French cuisine, particularly in the southern region around Grasse, where flowers such as orange blossom and lavender are grown for their perfume.

In this region, orange blossom water is used to flavour tea, crepes, mousse and fougassette, a traditional Christmas dessert bread.

Cooking with orange blossom water

Orange blossom water goes with …

almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts, honey, pastry, rice, milk, cream, yoghurt, oranges, dates, figs, sultanas, stone fruits, summer berries, cranberries, lamb, vanilla, cardamom, lemon myrtle, mint, saffron.

I like to add it to my yoghurt with fruit and granola. It’s delicious in smoothies, too.

Almond meal versus almond flour: what is the difference?

Almond meal is made by grinding whole, unpeeled almonds. It’s very easy to make your own – and cheaper, too.

Almond meal has a coarse consistency with brown specks or spots. It also tends to have a larger grain size than almond flour.

It’s a great alternative to wheat flour, with a slightly sweeter, nuttier taste. It’s an ideal ingredient for all sweet and savoury baking recipes.

It’s worth noting that baked goods made with almond meal tend to have a slightly more dense and chewy texture than those made with wheat flour.

Almond flour is made from skinless, blanched almonds. It has a mild flavour and finer grains than almond meal.

Almonds are soaked in boiling water to remove the skin before they’re ground to a pale, almost white powder.

Making and storing almond meal

It’s very easy to make your own almond meal, and cheaper, too. Blend raw almonds in a blender or a food processor to the consistency you like.

Leftover almond meal can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More almond meal recipes

Almond meal is also used in these recipes:

spiced pear and almond cake

roasted cauliflower with almond sauce

Best wishes,

Amanda

PS: If you’ve tried these plum and pistachio and almond meal muffins or any other recipe from At Amanda’s Table, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below.

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