From as far back as I can remember, my husband’s favorite ice cream has been Swiss Almond Vanilla, made by Häagen-Dazs, sold in the pint-sized containers. He doesn’t eat a lot of ice cream so the occasional pint was a rare treat. Then it started getting harder and harder to find.
When we moved to Dubai, there was a small Häagen-Dazs outlet in our neighborhood so I stopped in to inquire about his favorite flavor. The guy had never heard of it. He checked online and then delivered the bad news. It was now called “vanilla Swiss almond” and apparently flavors vary by region. Sadly, vanilla Swiss almond isn’t made in the Middle East.
Not being a person who gives up easily, I figured I had two choices. I could make my own or I could fudge it. I bought a pint of Häagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream. I let it soften slightly then I mixed in a package of good quality chocolate-covered almonds. I scooped my newly created Swiss Almond Vanilla back into the Häagen-Dazs tub, perched the lid on top (since it didn’t quite all fit in now) and popped it in the freezer.
As we sat around last week brainstorming muffin ideas, my husband reminded me of that story and said he’d like some Swiss Almond Vanilla Muffins. Which sounded like a splendid idea to me!
Swiss Almond Vanilla Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml sour cream
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or sub vanilla extract)
1 cup or about 180g chocolate covered almonds, divided
Method
Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line the pan with paper baking cups.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil, egg and vanilla paste.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Set aside 12 of the chocolate-covered almonds for decoration and fold the rest into the batter.
Use a scoop or tablespoon to divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Top each with a reserved chocolate-covered almond, pressing the candy gently into the batter.
Bake 17-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.
Enjoy!
Can you find Vanilla Swiss Almond Häagen-Dazs ice cream in your neck of the woods? Do let me know. And make sure you check out all the creative muffins my Muffin Monday group have for you today!
- Ackee and Saltfish Muffins from Passion Kneaded
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
- Bacon Gruyere Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Butternut Squash Raisin Mini Muffins from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Lemony Olive Oil Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Swiss Almond Vanilla Muffins from Food Lust People Love
- Zucchini Walnut Muffin from Palatable Pastime
#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.
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