Some of the nicest people you will ever meet, or at least share online communications with, are all bloggers. I don’t know how it happens, but every single blogger that I’ve come in contact with thus far has been thoughtful, encouraging, and generous to a fault. Take for example, Steph. We’ve played comment tag a few times, and in one particular message, I mentioned how curious I was about wattleseed, which she has used numerous times in many alluring recipes. It’s something of a specialty spice found only in Australia, and I had been dying to get my hands on it. Well, wouldn’t you know it, Steph was so kind as send a sachet of not only ground wattleseeds, but also whole, in addition to a bonus packet of lemon myrtle leaves. While the latter has yet to find its way into a dessert, I wasted no time in experimenting with this mysterious spice.
That isn’t to say that it was easy to pick out a final destination for those seeds. Oh no, I waffled over a myriad of recipes, debating whether they would be best baked, toasted, or frozen. Should it be a fruit dessert, or something purely sweet? Would a plain vanilla background be best to showcase it, or would it play well with others? Thankfully, there’s enough wattleseed to go around for a number of different applications, so this is only one of many to come.
Baked as squares just for a little change of pace, these tender muffins sport plump dried figs and candied pecans, in addition to the featured spice. While I ended up wishing I hadn’t gone so light on the wattleseed, trying to reserve them for other uses, the subtle flavor was truly a delight; adding in hints of coffee with a slightly nutty undertone, I don’t know why this wonderful spice isn’t more readily available in the states!
Plus, I’m a sucker for those little black specks- They remind me of vanilla beans, which I absolutely adore. I just wish I taking exact measurements and written them down, but alas, there’s no recipe to share this time around. It won’t be long before I use this incredible seed again though, all thanks to Steph!
Talk about perfect timing; it just so happened that the theme of this month’s Sugar High Friday is spices, so this is my entry!