Summer cherry almond muffins with a frangipane filling

There are just some flavors that are meant to be together. We both love the taste and smell of almond, which is a perfect flavor to bake with all year round! But, with summer in full bloom, so many of our favorite fruits are becoming readily available at our farmer's markets! Sweet, juicy cherries are the perfect fruit to combine with the very versatile flavor of almond! If you love almond you will definitely want to try this recipe, not only is the muffin flavored with almond and specked with real cherries, it is filled with the most amazing almond creme called frangipane! We used to make puff pastry filled with cherries and frangipane and we adapted it into a muffin recipe. These smell amazing when they are baking and are perfect for a brunch or even a late afternoon snack and a cup of perfectly sweetened coffee!

Frangipane

1 cup almond paste 

1 cup sugar 

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup cake flour 

1 egg {beaten}

Muffins 

3 1/4 cups pastry flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3 eggs 

1 1/2 cups milk 

2 teaspoons almond extract 

2 sticks unsalted butter {melted} 

1 cup pitted chopped fresh cherries or 1 bag of frozen {thawed} cherries  

pre-heat oven to 350

line muffin tins with muffin cups, spray slightly with cooking spray

make the frangipane by just combining almond paste, sugar and room temperature butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add flour and egg and combine until it forms a paste.

Set aside. To make muffins combine all dry ingredients, combine wet ingredients and add wet to dry, mix just until flour is moistened. Fold in your cherries. Use a small ice cream scoop and add a small scoop of batter into your muffin cups, take a tablespoon of frangipane and roll it into a ball, put it in the middle of the batter and then add one more small scoop on top to cover it. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar if desired...these are amazing warm but can be served at room temperature too. Enjoy!