The thought that a 4-leaf clover brings good luck goes all the way back to Celtic Druids in Ireland during the 1600’s. They believed that carrying a 4-leaf clover would allow them to see evil spirits and escape before the spirits could harm them. There is also evidence that the Druids used both shamrocks and 4-leaf clovers for healing rituals.
My mother has always had a strange ability to find 4-leaf clovers. She can just walk through a clover patch and find at least one or two. Apparently that ability runs in the family as I’ve had quite a bit of luck finding 4-leaf clovers in our backyard (well, when it’s not covered in snow). In fact, Robbie loves to go out hunting 4-leaf clovers with me!
Pistachio Muffins
Circling back to today’s recipe, these Pistachio Muffins are a fantastic way to start the day! There’s no particular relationship between St. Patrick’s Day and Pistachio Muffins other than the fact that these muffins are slightly green in color. Nevertheless, St. Patrick’s Day is as good a time as any to bake up a batch of muffins, right?
Last year, I made this Lemon Pistachio Cake, and it was a huge hit. (Laura still says that’s one of her all-time favorite desserts. That says quite a bit as I make a LOT of desserts!) For that cake, the secret ingredient was a box of pistachio flavor instant pudding mix. I used that same thought for these muffins, and that pistachio pudding helps add a boost of flavor to these muffins.
There’s also a bunch of chopped pistachios in there, and I like the texture (and taste!) that they add to the muffins and the streusel topping. For me, the streusel topping with the pistachios takes these muffins from ‘homemade pistachio muffins’ to ‘bakery style pistachio muffins.’
One quick note about pistachio nuts – I picked up a bag of shelled pistachios to use for this recipe, but I made a mistake and got salted pistachios. At first I was worried that I ruined the muffins, but it turns out the salted seeds (that’s right…pistachios are technically seeds, not nuts) led to a fun combination of sweet and salty. No matter whether you go salted or unsalted, I can say that these Pistachio Muffins will be a tasty and fun breakfast treat! Enjoy!
