Perfect Pomegranate Muffins Recipe

Muffins are among the most popular and versatile types of baked goods. They're perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or as a snack any time of day, and they can go sweet, savory, or somewhere in between. We're all familiar with some of the more common flavors — blueberry, corn, and banana nut — but sometimes the same old, same old can get a little dull. One thing you're unlikely to find on supermarket shelves is a pomegranate muffin, which is why developer Jessica Morone came up with a recipe so you can bake a batch at home. As she says of her creation, "These muffins are great because they are easy and quick to make and the flavor is so good."

Pomegranates, which are present in the form of arils in the batter and juice in the glaze, bring their unique juicy, tangy flavor, bright ruby color, and characteristic crunch to the muffins. To accentuate the flavor of pomegranate, Morone also adds a little citrus. "The special ingredients in this recipe are the orange juice and zest because they give these muffins so much flavor." She explains that "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."

The basic muffin batter is made from flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and oil, while it gets its flavor from vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest, and pomegranate seeds. The glaze, which has a faint blush tint to it, is made of powdered sugar thinned with a small amount of pomegranate juice.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

Add the pomegranate seeds to the bowl and gently mix together.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely.

In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and pomegranate juice until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins.

Once the glaze is set, serve the muffins.

Morone notes that pomegranates have a pretty short season, from fall until around January. Since fresh pomegranates aren't always available she admits that she "cheated" here by using bottled pomegranate juice and a container of pomegranate arils, both of which are available year-round. Even when pomegranates are in season, when you want to whip up a quick batch of muffins you might appreciate the convenience of store-bought seeds and juice. As Morone says, "You can buy these seeds and not have to go through the trouble of de-seeing a pomegranate yourself."

If you're more of a DIYer, though, you can quickly de-seed a pomegranate by cutting it in half, then holding it, seed side down, over a large bowl. Take a heavy spoon or similar implement and give the shell a few good smacks, then watch the seeds come tumbling out. Once you've counted out a cupful of arils (a medium-sized fruit should easily yield a more than sufficient amount), use your blender or food processor to turn the remaining ones into pomegranate juice. You'll need to strain the pulp and seeds out of the juice before mixing it with the powdered sugar. Of course, you can always use arils from a fresh pomegranate and juice from a bottle, if you have it on hand. 

This recipe yields 12 standard-sized muffins, which is perfect if you're sharing them for family brunch or any other kind of gathering. If it's more than you can eat in a day, however, and you end up with leftover muffins, Morone says that they should last for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If this still isn't enough time for you to eat all dozen muffins, though, she explains that they can also be frozen.

You can freeze glazed muffins and let them thaw before eating them. She suggests that you store them in an airtight freezer bag, and says they should stay good for up to 3 months. If you want to eat the muffins warm instead of at room temperature, Morone says that you can microwave glazed muffins — if you're careful. She notes that "If you microwave glazed muffins for too long, the glaze will melt." She recommends that you microwave muffins for about 10 to 15 seconds, which should get them warm but not hot enough to melt the glaze.