Spiced Persimmon Muffins

Remember last Fall, when Paul harvested all those persimmons off our tree?  You can read about it (and see what a persimmon looks like) HERE.  Someone actually commented anonymously on that post, saying that our persimmons looked like cervixes, which I thought was hilarious. 

Anyhow, Paul tucked a bunch of persimmons into the deep freezer, and I decided to try out a new recipe for Spiced Persimmon and Pecan Muffins I'd torn out of Cooking Light magazine back in November.  I slightly simplified their version.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup plain fat free yogurt

1/3 cup ripe mashed persimmon

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup diced persimmon

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375*.  Place 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 375* for 8 minutes or until pecans are fragrant and toasted (I skipped this step).

Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through cloves) in a bowl.  Stir well.  Combine yogurt and next 6 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stir well with a whisk.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stir until just combined.  Fold in persimmon, cranberries and toasted pecans.  Spoon into 18 muffin cups coated w/ cooking spray.  Sprinkle tops w/ 1/4 cup pecans. 

Bake muffins at 375* for 18 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes on wire rack and remove from pans.  202 calories, 7.4 grams of fat, 3.7 grams protein, 2.4 grams fiber.

These muffins are so wonderful.  They are really moist and have so much flavor but without the spices being overwhelming!  And as a bonus, Pierce and the twins loved them too!