Shivat Haminim / Seven Species Muffins for Tu B'Shvat

Tu B'Shvat is a holiday when we celebrate and the fruit of the land that Hashem has given us. It is a day to be thankful for all that Hashem has blessed us with. 

In the book of Devarim/Deuteronomy it is written that Hashem has blessed us by bringing us to a land of abundance:

אֶ֤רֶץ חִטָּה֙ וּשְׂעֹרָ֔ה וְגֶ֥פֶן וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וְרִמּ֑וֹן אֶֽרֶץ־זֵ֥ית שֶׁ֖מֶן וּדְבָֽשׁ

A land of wheat and barley, vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil producing olives and honey.

These muffins celebrate those words, by using each of those fruits of the land 

Flour - Wheat

Barley - Beer 

Vines - Raisins 

Figs - Dried Figs

Pomegranates - Fresh Arils 

Olives - Olive Oil 

Honey - This is not referring to the honey from bees, but rather from dates that grow all over the country.

I also added some chopped almonds to these muffins because of the song that we sing on Tu B'Shvat -השקדיה פורחת

ושמש פז זורחת,
צפורים מראש כל גג
מבשרות את בוא החג.

ט"ו בשבט הגיע
חג לאילנות.

The almond tree is blooming
And the golden sun is shining,
Birds atop each roof
Announcing the arrival of the festival.

Tu B'Shvat has arrived
It's the festival of trees.

If you're not into using the fruits listed and you don't want to use beer don't worry the recipe has substitutions. 

Shivat Haminim / Seven Species Muffins for Tu B'Shvat

2 1/2 cups flour 

1 Tbsp  baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt 

1 cup mild flavor beer OR 1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk or dairy-free milk of your choice + 1 Tbs lemon juice)

1/4 cup olive oil OR 1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup silan/date syrup OR 1/2 cup sugar 

1 cup chopped fresh and dried fruits - I used pomegranate seeds and dried figs, but feel free to use different dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, apricots, dates...

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C 

Coat a standard-size muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners. 

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a liquid measuring cup mix together the beer, oil, eggs, and silan. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Make sure not to overmix your batter or else your muffins will be dense and chewy. Fold in the fruits. 

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with chopped almond and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes 

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before popping out and cooling on a rack. 

Yield: 12 standard-size muffins