Mix Pomegranate Seeds In Your Muffins For A Unique Burst Of Flavor

Some of the best culinary upgrades are hiding in plain sight. Though your go-to muffin recipes might be delicious, add a juicy pop to the batch to help make your next baker's dozen sing. Pomegranate seeds gently folded into muffin batter make for a tangy surprise. The tarty-sugary ruby gems can stand up in both sweet and savory recipes, and the seeds' inclusion creates a pleasant bite that plays well with the softness of fresh-out-of-the-oven treats. 

Not only does the presence of pomegranate bring an aesthetic element to a basic muffin recipe, but the subtle zing that the crunchy pieces bring to freshly baked muffins can make it difficult to hold out for second servings. Whether you are setting out to make Jessica Morone's perfect pomegranate muffins with orange zest or folding pomegranate seeds into a strawberry cornmeal muffin recipe, upgrading baked goods with a touch of fruit couldn't be easier. "The pomegranates and orange flavors really complement each other, so the muffins end up being both sweet and tart and the pomegranate seeds give the muffins a nice texture," Morone gushed to Tasting Table. 

Consider tossing the fruit gems into a cardamom blueberry muffin recipe for an extra burst of juicy flavor, or add the surprise into a batch of snickerdoodle crumb muffins. Pick up fresh pomegranates to extract the seeds, or if your market is out of the seasonal fruit, splash pomegranate juice into the muffin batter and grab some pomegranate arils to add bursts of flavor to your mixture. This approach is a cleaner tactic, bypassing the need to deseed pomegranates and work through the red orbs by hand.

Keep in mind that adding this ingredient may impact the usual bake times. Use a toothpick to insert into the center of a muffin to check for doneness before serving. The toothpick should come out clean once removed, and the top of your finished muffins should give gently to touch. Depending on the muffin recipe you choose, top these beauties with powdered sugar, sprinkles of cinnamon, or drizzles of icing, and enjoy with generous slabs of your favorite butter and jams. You may want to make an extra batch to store and save for later.