Mango, pistachio & crystallized ginger muffins

When I read Monica Bhide's tweet about baking mango bread, I knew I'd have to do it. Monica adapted her recipe from from Sweet Hands by Ramin Ganeshram. But you know me: I had to make a few changes myself!

Instead of making a mango bread, I decided to make mango muffins: cuter and easier to control the portions. Plus, they make a great portable breakfast or snack.

I thought that just using a mango puree wasn't enough: why not add chunks of mango {I used champagne mangoes} into the muffins themselves?

Monica's recipe used nutmeg, cinnamon and walnuts, but those are not my favorites. I thought pistachios and crystallized ginger would provide a better contrast to the sweet and relatively mild mango flavor.

As I was making the batter, even before I added mango chunks, pistachio nuts and crystallized ginger, the batter was incredibly thick. Perhaps my champagne mango wasn't large enough. I should have followed the cup measurement instructions in the recipe instead of going with the number of fruit. I panicked. What to do? I opted to add an extra egg and 1/4 cup of a Mangue Vinaigre I had left over from the shrimp & mango recipe I made for Robyn.

At the end, everything came together beautifully and the muffins were even a success with my friend's 2 year old son. What more can I ask for?

Mango, Pistachio & Crystallized Ginger Muffins

Ingredients
1.5 cups peeled and cubed mango
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 champagne mango, peeled & diced
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
3/4 cups shelled pistachios, chopped
optional: 1/4 cup orange juice, mango puree or Mangue Vinaigre to use in case you need to thin out the batter

{This is what my kitchen looks like when I cook. I told you I'm a messy cook!}

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a blender, puree 1.5 cups of chopped mango, lime juice and water. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
4. In a small bowl whisk together 2 eggs, oil and lime zest. Add to the dry ingredients and incorporate well. Use additional mango puree, orange juice or Mangue Vinaigre if the batter is too thick.
5. Mix in 1 chopped mango, crystallized ginger and pistachios.
6. Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool slightly before eating.

I really liked these! And was really happy that they came out despite the fact that I had to make a few adjustments to the recipe. The muffins turned out moist on the inside with great bursts of sweetness from the incorporated mango chunks, a bit of spice from crystallized ginger and some bit and gorgeous green color from pistachios.

As if sharing my messy kitchen with you wasn't enough, click on the image above (the one on the right) to see what my recipe notes look like! {Also, notice the new green background: DIY project!}

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