Cherry, Dark and White Chocolate Muffins

With abundance of beautiful fresh cherries at the store, I immediately put my mind into using them in the muffins I was planning to bake.
Since I’m very fond of the combination of cherries and chocolate, I’ve decided to double the fun, and use both white and dark chocolate in the muffins, with each giving its unique sweetness and aroma.
I also decided to use two types of flour – white and spelt, along with a smaller amount of fine semolina, which added a pleasant grainy texture to the batter.
I’ve mixed the milk for the batter with buttermilk powder, which gave the muffins a subtle tangy flavor. Other additions were malted milk powder, condensed sweetened milk, and almond extract – that enhanced the flavors of the rest of the ingredients.
These light and moderately sweet muffins are quick and easy to make. They are perfect for serving any time of the day. Try them and enjoy.

Notes:
* Buttermilk powder adds a subtle tanginess to the muffins, and improves their texture. It can be found in the baking section of most store, or online.
* Malted milk powder is a mix of whole milk powder and malted barley/wheat. The powder enhances both flavor and texture of pastries and cakes. It is available in specially stores or online.

Makes: 24
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Tbs buttermilk powder (see notes)
1 Tbs Malted milk powder (see notes)
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 L eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 drops pure almond extract
1 cup white flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup fine semolina
2 cups pitted and roughly chopped fresh dark cherries
2.2 oz (62 grams), white chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Lindt)
½ cup mini dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Line two muffin pans with 24 paper baking cups.
2. In a medium jug, mix the buttermilk powder and malted milk powder, and gradually whisk in the milk. Add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk again.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the milk mixture, then the oil, vanilla and almond extract.
4. Add the white and spelt flour, baking powder, salt and semolina, and mix to a smooth batter.
5. Switch to a spatula. Add the cherries, white and dark chocolate, and mix briefly.
6. Divide the batter between the paper cups. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the muffins are puffed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean.
7. Transfer to a rack, to cool to room temperature before serving. The muffins can keep, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen, for up to two months.