POM Wonderful really is wonderful. I remember the days before POM, when I was a kid, and I had to get on my "dirty clothes" and sit in the bathtub just to eat a pomegranate. Seriously, actual fact. Now, you can buy all these great pomegranate related products, all the antioxidant and yumminess without the blood-like stains. Win, win.
I made these during Rosh Hashanah. I’m not Jewish, but I have recently had the honor of learning about all the beautiful food traditions the Jewish religion has. I had lunch with my friend Tori, of The Shiksa In The Kitchen, the other day and she told me all about eating pomegranets during the Jewish New Year to "to remind ourselves that our good deeds in the coming year should be plentiful." Now, who can’t get behind that? Wouldn’t the world just be a better place if we all took a second to remind ourselves to do more good deeds in the coming year?
Besides the beautiful symbolism of eating pomegranates during the High Holiday, these muffins were awesome. I was so happy with how they turned out.
Pomegranate Streusel Muffins
2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup almonds, chopped (BTW: POM Wonderful ALSO has almonds! And, they’re great)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 sticks butter, cold, cut into cubes
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice
1/2 cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate seeds
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl add the white sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, almonds, cinnamon, pecans, oats and salt. Stir to combine. Add the butter cubes and using either your hands or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it is well combined and resembles crumbs. Measure three cups of the crumb mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Put the rest of the crumbs into the refrigerator to chill.
Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and pomegranate juice to the mixer. Mix on medium/low speed until just combined. Don’t over mix. Add the pomegranate seeds and stir to combine.
Spray the wells of a muffin tin with butter flavored cooking spray. Add the batter to the wells until about 1/2 way full. Top with the chilled crumbs until the wells are filled to just below the top, about 1 or 2 tbs of crumbs.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.
Makes 20 muffins
