Farmers cheese (tvorog) and polenta muffins strike an incredible balance between cozy home baking and restaurant-level aesthetics. Using corn polenta in the batter yields a unique, sunny texture and a subtle nutty flavor highly prized in Mediterranean desserts. In this recipe, the graininess of the polenta perfectly contrasts with the tenderness of full-fat farmers cheese (tvorog), while the essential oils from the mandarin zest fill the kitchen with a festive aroma right from the mixing stage. Each portion bakes up golden, featuring a signature crispy exterior and a porous, slightly moist crumb inside.
Tender and aromatic farmers cheese and polenta muffins make the perfect dessert for your morning coffee or tea.
Ingredients
- 100 g full-fat farmers cheese (tvorog)
- 1 mandarin orange
- 1 chicken egg
- 90 g sugar
- 50 g vegetable oil
- 50 g polenta
- 50 g semolina
- 35 g wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
- vanilla powder or vanilla extract to taste
- butter for greasing the tin
- apricot jam and nuts for garnish
How to Make Farmers Cheese and Polenta Muffins
Prepare the muffin tin to ensure a crispy crust. Grease the cups with softened butter. Dust generously with polenta, tapping out the excess. Chill the prepared tin in the refrigerator.
Grease the tin with butter and dust generously with polenta to achieve an appetizing crispy crust.
Scald the mandarin orange with boiling water, then peel. Scrape away the white pith from the peel and finely chop the orange zest. Place full-fat farmers cheese (tvorog) into a mixing bowl. Add the mandarin zest to the farmers cheese and squeeze in the juice from the mandarin.
Mix the full-fat farmers cheese with fragrant mandarin zest and freshly squeezed juice for a vibrant flavor.
Crack in a chicken egg.
Add one chicken egg to the bowl to help bind all the batter ingredients together.
Pour in fine white sugar.
Pour in the fine sugar to give our baked goods a pleasant and well-balanced sweetness.
Pour in the vegetable oil. Any neutral-flavored baking oil works beautifully here, such as canola oil.
Use any refined, neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or sunflower oil.
Whisk the ingredients thoroughly until the sugar crystals dissolve.
Whisk the mixture thoroughly until completely smooth and all the sugar crystals dissolve.
Stir in the wheat flour. Add the corn polenta and semolina. Sprinkle in the baking soda and baking powder. Add half a teaspoon of vanilla powder or pour in vanilla extract to taste.
Combine the base with wheat flour, corn polenta, and semolina to create that distinct texture.
Mix the batter well until smooth and lump-free. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes; you can chill it in the refrigerator. During this half-hour, the polenta and semolina will absorb moisture and swell.
Let the batter rest for half an hour so the polenta and semolina absorb moisture and swell.
Fill the cups of the muffin tin with the batter. To make sure your muffins are uniform, use a measuring spoon or weigh each portion on a kitchen scale.
Distribute the batter into the cups, aiming for equal portions to ensure the muffins bake evenly.
Preheat your oven to 185 degrees Celsius (365 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the tin on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 20-22 minutes. The exact baking time depends on your specific oven and may vary slightly. Check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer—it should come out clean—or gently press the top of a muffin. If it springs back, it is baked through.
Bake the muffins until golden brown and check for doneness with a wooden skewer or a gentle press.
Let the muffins rest in the tin for 5-7 minutes, then carefully remove them from the cups and cool on a wire rack.
Let the pastries cool slightly in the tin, then carefully remove the muffins from the cups.
Brush the tops with apricot jam. Sprinkle the glazed muffins with sliced almonds or finely chopped cashews. Apricot jam is an ideal glaze for baking. First, it is sweet and tart, pairing perfectly with the sweet batter. Second, its neutral color makes it an excellent glue for any toppings.
Apricot jam makes an ideal glaze: it adds a beautiful shine and acts as the perfect glue for the nut topping.
These farmers cheese and polenta muffins turn out fluffy, slightly moist, exceptionally delicious, and aromatic. Brew some coffee and enjoy your meal!
The fluffy, moist, and incredibly aromatic farmers cheese muffins are ready to be served.
To make your farmers cheese (tvorog) and polenta muffins look even more appetizing, do not skip the apricot jam glaze-it not only secures the nut topping but also adds a pleasant fruity tartness. Besides almonds and cashews, crushed pistachios or even sunflower seeds work wonderfully for decoration. If you want to turn these pastries into a full-fledged holiday dessert, serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla or sweet cream ice cream slowly melting over the golden tops. Store these baked goods in an airtight container at room temperature for no more than two days, ensuring the polenta retains its pleasant texture. If you baked a large batch, you can briefly warm the muffins in the microwave or oven before serving to restore their original softness and boost the citrus aroma. Feel free to experiment with add-ins: folding a handful of dried cranberries or raisins into the batter will make the flavor profile even more complex.
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