GINGERED PLUM-CORN MUFFINS

Here’s what a corn muffin should be: soft and warming, yes, but also full of surprises. For starters, corn flour delivers big flavor but yields a crumb as fine and tender as cake. With each bite of these honeyed corn cakes, you get a burst of tangy juice from plums and chewy bits of sweet heat from candied ginger.

TIP: Corn flour is simply very, very finely ground cornmeal, so it’s still whole-grain (unlike cornstarch, which is only the powdered endosperm). You can find it in supermarkets, but you can easily make your own by grinding cornmeal in a blender.

makes 1 dozen

no nuts

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Coat a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk both flours, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the plums and ginger and toss until evenly coated. Whisk the butter, yogurt, honey, and egg in a medium bowl until well blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Fold gently just until all the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups; the cups will be full.

3. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a center muffin comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully slide a small offset spatula or knife between each muffin and the pan to pop the muffins out. Cool on the rack until warm or at room temperature.

MAKE AHEAD

The muffins are best the day they’re made but will keep at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.