Sweet Corn Muffins Stuffed with Berries with Anise Orange Glaze

This recipe was inspired by one from Cooking Light which used strawberries and strawberry preserves and whipped cream. I switched up the fruit by making it with a cooked compote, and moistening the batter, and added a kick to a glaze for topping.

MUFFINS:
2 packages corn muffin mix with the ingredients called for on package
1/4 C flour
zest from one orange
1 t vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt

FILLING:
3 C mixed berries fresh. I used 2 parts blueberries to one part black berries.
1/2 C sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 Tbsp corn starch
(cooks down to about 2 C)

GLAZE:
2 C powdered confectioners sugar
1 tsp anise flavored liquor (can use orange liquor or amaretto if desired or add orange juice)
2 Tbsp salted butter
pinch of salt
milk to make into the consistency of glaze

(You can top with toasted slivered almonds if desired, especially if you opted for amaretto or almond flavoring in glaze.)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Put berries in a pan with sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium low heat until a syrup begins to form and mixture is bubbling. Let cook for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add corn starch and whisk back on medium heat until it begins to thicken. You don’t want it too thick, just a pretty consistency for cascading over your muffins when you plate the dessert. Cover with plastic and set aside.

Now. Preheat oven to temperature as recommended on box. To begin, grease a 12 cut muffin pan and set aside. Follow instructions on muffin mix pan and add all the ingredients for the muffins as shown on box, then add the extra ingredients I show, and place in tins, not more than half full. When muffins are about 4-5 minutes shy of being done, but you can see they’ve raised in the oven but still a little wet looking on top, take them out and gently bump a small indentation in each. Add 1 T of fruit mixture to each muffin then return to the oven for the remaining 3 or minutes. Corn muffins get dry and because this is a dessert you don’t want to overdo the cooking at all. When finished, take out and cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a deep cake pan so you can cool them for later. (I was transporting them to a friend’s home and this worked well.)

Now, whisk together your glaze ingredients and taste to make sure it’s not overly sweet. Add a pinch of salt if needed.

To plate, put one muffin in center of dessert plate, add 1/4 C of the berries so they cascade down each side. Then drizzle glaze over the top. Sprinkle with nuts if desired and serve immediately. They would be best warm but we liked them after being cooled. You will have to be the judge.