Muffin Monday - Pineapple Jam-Filled Muffins with Luscious Lemon Glaze

The recipe for Muffin Monday this week couldn't be any easier, it's jam-filled muffins. Anuradha from Baker Street blog provided us with a basic recipe and all we had to do really was 'fill in the blank' where the jam was featured in the ingredient list. I decided to fill mine with the pineapple jam that I had made a week earlier and had used to fill some pineapple tart cookies.

My fresh pineapple was procured from a little hut serving as a fruit stall just down the road from my home. Bearing in mind that my neighborhood lies within a village, the fruits were sold by an elderly lady who grew them in her very own backyard. The pineapple I chose was rather large and super-sweet, probably due to all the organic manure (a.k.a. chicken poop) lavished on the soil where these fruits are cultivated.

The chickens in this village are super-social, the original Twitter crowd, I tell you. And they roam everywhere they please and eat the best stuff nature can offer, making for very fertile gardens and vibrant plants and fruits. Well, I hope you see the connection :-).

Anyway, I added anise and cloves to spice up the pineapple puree and cooked it down to a thick jam consistency. To achieve this, I had to stand by the hot stove for one hour, stirring constantly so the pineapple jam didn't burn. Here are some useful tips for you...it really helps to have the fan blowing in your face (à la  Mariah Carey's video), some funky music playing in the background, a friend on speaker phone - or all three - to help alleviate the heat and boredom experienced during this tedious process.

 

 Different consistencies of the pineapple jam during cooking

I made slight alterations to An's recipe, one of which was to use whole wheat flour. I was hoping it would compensate (health-wise) for the scary amount of sugar used in the pineapple jam. Although I must add, the lemon sugar glaze drizzled on top of the muffins at the end somehow negated that guilt-driven, health-conscious effort. Oh well, at least the intention was good!

Jam-stirring aside, these muffins were easily one of the simplest that I've made so far. And of course, one of the yummiest, with the pineapple complementing the lemony flavor of the muffin well. Thanks An, for once again sharing with us such a delightful muffin recipe. Don't forget to check the other bakers' jam-filled muffins out over at An's blog, you won't be disappointed!

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Pineapple Jam-Filled Muffins with Luscious Lemon Glaze
Makes: 12 muffins

Muffins

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour*

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

2 teaspoons lemon rind/zest*

1/2 cup pineapple jam (recipe below)

Lemon glaze (recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs, milk, butter and lemon rind.

4. Pour into the dry ingredients and the stir until moistened.

5. Spoon half batter, make a well, add 1 teaspoon pineapple jam, spoon the remaining batter on top and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 10 minutes before glazing.

6. Drizzle lemon glaze over the top of the muffins and leave to set before serving.

(Note: * Alterations to the original recipe)

Pineapple Jam Filling

500g ripe fresh pineapple or canned pineapple

100-200 g granulated sugar (adjust according to your level of sweetness)

3 cloves

2 star anise

1. Slice pineapples and process briefly (about 30 seconds) in a food processor until pineapple flesh is roughly pureed. Pour pineapple into a strainer over a bowl. Press down with a spoon to squeeze more juice out. Keep juice aside.

2. Combine pineapple flesh with sugar, star anise and cloves in a heavy-bottomed pot and cook over low heat until almost dry.

3. Stir constantly until mixture is gluey and thick, the consistency of thick jam.

4. If mixture is too dry, add a bit of pineapple juice that has been set aside.

5. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Lemon Glaze

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup sifted icing sugar

3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix icing sugar with cooled, melted butter and enough lemon juice to make a drizzling consistency. Spoon over the muffins, letting some of the glaze drip down the sides.

Desserts, Muffin, Pineapple, lemon