• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, allspice and ginger. Add the pecans, oatmeal and dates to the sifted mixture. Set aside the dry ingredients.
• Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat the sorghum into the butter mixture, then beat in the egg.
• Stir the butter mixture, dry ingredients, buttermilk and lemon zest until just moistened. Dont overmix.
• Spoon the batter into muffin tins that have been either greased and floured or lined with paper baking liners. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer.
* All-purpose white flour can be substituted.
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour*
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup oatmeal, regular or quick-cooking
1/2 cup dates
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sorghum
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup oatmeal, regular or quick-cooking
1/2 cup dates
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sorghum
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. lemon zest
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2005.