Breakfast/Brunch

February 26, 2023

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins might seem like an unusual combination, but trust me - this flavor pairing is warm, spicy, earthy, and perfect for winter. Pair these muffins with your morning coffee for, and ease into the day. 

I received some small, kind of sad parsnips one week in my produce delivery subscription, and wasn’t sure what to do with them. They weren’t big enough to bother roasting, and they certainly weren’t enough for a side dish. They languished in my fridge for a few days, until I thought about my recipe for Carrot Apple Muffins, and thought, well if carrots can go in muffins, why not parsnips?

Sure enough, a few tweaks to that original recipe, and out came these Parsnip Cardamom Muffins. Tender and flavorful, they bring together winter ingredients that make each other shine. The sweetness of the parsnips is enhanced by the sweetness of the apples and dates, and their earthy-spiciness is complemented by the floral spice of the cardamom. 

My favorite part about these muffins is that the batter is made entirely in the food processor. Pulse the parnsips, apples, and dates into a fine pulp, then add the rest of the ingredients until a batter forms. These muffins are dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, instead loaded with healthy fat from olive oil and almond flour, and fiber from the apples and parsnips. 

Parnsip Cardamom Muffins are the perfect sweet bite to add to your winter mornings. Make a batch on the weekend, and have them on hand for breakfasts and snacks all week!

Ingredients assembled for Parsnip Cardamom Muffins
Assemble your ingredients.

Stages of making the muffin batter in a food processor
The batter for these muffins comes together entirely in a food processor. Start by adding the roughly chopped parsnips, apple, and dates to the food processor, and pulse them into a fine pulp (bottom left photo). You want very small pieces, but not a puree. Then, add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the batter comes together.

Parsnip Cardamom Muffin batter transferred into a muffin pan, read to bake
Evenly divide the batter into 12 lightly grease muffin cups, and bake.

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins on a wood cutting board
Parsnip Cardamom Muffins are moist and tender, and a delicious combination of warming winter flavors.

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins arranged on a wood tray lined with parchment
Parsnip Cardamom Muffins are a delicious way to warm up a winter morning!

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins

Parsnip Cardamom Muffins might seem like an unusual combination, but trust me - this flavor pairing is warm, spicy, earthy, and perfect for winter. Pair these muffins with your morning coffee for, and ease into the day.

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

20

min

total:

30

min

Ingredients

1 small-medium apple (any variety), cored, roughly chopped

1 heaping cup roughly chopped parsnips (about 2 medium parsnips)

8 medjool dates, pitted, roughly chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups almond flour 

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. sea salt 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line each well of a 12-cup muffin pan, and set aside. 
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, add roughly chopped apple, parsnips, and dates. Pulse food processor until ingredients are very finely chopped (almost pulp-like). 
  3. Add remaining ingredients to the food processor, and pulse until combined into a batter.
  4. Scoop batter from the food processor into prepared muffin cups, dividing equally among the 12 cups. 
  5. Bake muffins at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
  6. Cool muffins in the pan about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
  7. Store muffins in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.


Note: 

  • If you do not have a food processor, you can grate the apple and parsnips on the small holes of a box grater. Chop the dates until almost a paste. Then, combine all ingredients in a large bowl to make the batter.
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March 19, 2024
Hannah
Sounds sooooo yummy. I will definitely prepare this