Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
Recipe Intro From katie.melodie
As an Irish American, St. Patrick’s day is my Super Bowl. I love the parades, the big dinner with my family, the Chicago River turning green, all of that. But you know what I don’t love? Irish Soda Bread. The rock hard bread that has come to define this otherwise glorious occasion. One year my mom stumbled upon an Amish bakery which made the tenderest, loveliest soda bread I have ever known and I have been chasing that bliss ever since. These muffins are as close as I can get to the Amish-Irish Soda Bread and the best part is they are super flavorful and stay tender for DAYS. Perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or a post-St. Patrick’s Day hangover.
- Recipe Card
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup currants or raisins
- Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 F. in a nonstick skillet, add the butter and caraway seeds and melt over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is deeply browned and the caraway seeds are fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 2
While the butter is cooling, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Likewise, in a liquid measuring cup, whisk the egg, applesauce, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined.
Step 3
Once the butter is cool, but still melted, add it to a large mixing bowl with the sugar. As soon as it’s combined, alternate between adding the liquid and the dry ingredients. With the final addition of the dry ingredients, toss the currants (or raisins) and chocolate chips in the dry ingredients, shake to coat, and fold it all in at once.
Step 4
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into a lined muffin tin. If you don't have an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin cups up 2/3 of the way. Be careful not to overfill. Sprinkle a generous amount of Turbinado sugar on the tops of the muffins, about a fat pinch per muffin. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 23-25 minutes.
Step 5
Cool and serve!