Plum Puffs and Raspberry Cordial

If you're a male, you're forgiven for not understanding this reference. The rest of you have no excuse.

A friend and I have started an Anne of Green Gables book club for the summer and for our first meeting I decided to make Marilla's plum puffs (which "won't minister to a mind diseased") and the infamous raspberry cordial. There is actually a cute little paperback out of print cookbook extant which targets the same juvenile demographic as the books. I shelled out for a used copy on Amazon, but ended up making a muffin variety instead of the jam filled cream puff from the cookbook since it better fitted my notion of what Marilla would have baked.

Plum Pulp
2 lbs plums, washed

Wash plums and place in a large pot. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to pot--just enough to make some steam. Cover and heat over very low heat until the fruit is soft and falling apart. Remove pits. Press plums and juices through a potato ricer to mash. Most of the skins will automatically be removed. Two pounds of plums should yield about 3 cups pulp, which may be used for this recipe, frozen in containers or freezer bags, or made into jam. Look for European plums, not Asian plums as they are not as good for cooking.

Plum Puffs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup light cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 375°F Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon allspice. Add 1 cup plum pulp, cream, egg, and 1/4 cup melted butter and stir until combined (should still be lumpy, not smooth).

Spoon batter into muffin cups to about 2/3 full. Bake about 20 minutes or until centers are set. (Mine took 14 minutes to bake.) Remove puffs from pan immediately.
While puffs are baking, combine cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the puffs are removed from the pan, brush tops with melted butter, then dip into cinnamon-sugar mixture.

These were a big hit. The plum pulp was gorgeous and fragrant and the batter was a beautiful burgundy. I wish they had a stronger plum flavor and will probably use more pulp and less cream and butter next time, or even put in some unmashed plum chunks.