Panettone Muffins

By cuznvin

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 * 1 1/2 cups diced dried fruit*
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup apple juice, orange juice, rum, or a mixture
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup butter
• 2 * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 * 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 * 2 large eggs
• 1/8 to 1/4 * 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia, to taste
• 1 * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 * 2 tablespoons King Arthur Cake Enhancer, optional, for enhanced freshness
• 2 * 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 * 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2/3 * 2/3 cup milk
• 2 * 2 generous tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping
• * *Our Favorite Fruit Blend — diced apricots, raisins, pineapple cubes, chopped dates, and sweetened cranberries — is a good choice here
• 7 1/2 to 9 * 7 1/2 to 9 ounces ounces diced dried fruit*
• 2 * 2 ounces apple juice, orange juice, rum, or a mixture
• 2 * 2 ounces butter
• 7/8 * 7/8 ounce vegetable oil
• 4 5/8 * 4 5/8 ounces sugar
• 2 * 2 large eggs
• 1/8 to 1/4 * 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia, to taste
• 1 * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 * 1/2 ounce King Arthur Cake Enhancer, optional, for enhanced freshness
• 2 * 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 9 1/2 * 9 1/2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 5 3/8 * 5 3/8 ounces milk
• 1 1/8 * 1 1/8 ounces coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping
• * *Our Favorite Fruit Blend — diced apricots, raisins, pineapple cubes, chopped dates, and sweetened cranberries — is a good choice here

Preparation

Step 1

Mix the dried fruit and liquid of your choice in a bowl. Cover the bowl, and let the fruit sit overnight. Or speed up the process by heating fruit and liquid in the microwave till very hot, then cooling to lukewarm/room temperature, about 1 hour.

2) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

3) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

4) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

5) Stir in the Fiori and vanilla.

6) Whisk together the Cake Enhancer, baking powder, salt, and flour. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

7) Stir in the fruit, with any remaining liquid.

8) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups quite full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins generously with the coarse sugar.

9) Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they're a sunny gold color on top, and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

10) Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Yield: 12 muffins.