Baklava Muffins

So for some reason my husband decided to give me a list of kitchen "challenges." On that list was crab cakes, something with portobello mushrooms, and baklava. I was kind of surprised by the list. With the exception of crab cakes, the other two were things I had never heard him order or even seen him eat! I looked at some baklava recipes and decided we really didn't need a big tray of this decadent dessert in our house. I dug through my google reader and stumbled upon these muffins and instantly decided to make this alternate recipe.

Honestly, I have never had baklava so I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't even know what the flavors should taste like. Granted, this isn't baklava and it isn't in a flaky crust, but John said the flavoring was spot on. I am happy to report that these flew out of our house, and John wasn't the only one eating them! These were decadent and sweet, with a light muffin texture and a nutty inside. Perfecto- I will definitely try them again.

(The composition of this picture is meh, but I wanted you to see how amazing the inside is, so ignore the messy cut up muffin look and just gawk at the yummy nutty mixture)

Source: Adapted from Cate's World Kitchen

Ingredients:

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp melted butter

Muffins
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp melted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
3 tbsp honey + A dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix gently with a fork.

Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each 1/3 of the way with batter, top with a spoonful of filling, then top with more batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, brush each with about the honey mixture, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.