When she wasn’t in her studio, iconic American artist Georgia O’Keeffe enjoyed her Abiquiú garden, where she grew green chile, squash, tomatoes, herbs, and other fresh fare. Her fruit trees produced pears, apples, and apricots, which provided the inspiration for this recipe created by Margaret Wood, an assistant and personal chef for O’Keeffe. Wood wrote about their time together in A Painter’s Kitchen: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O’Keeffe. In April 2017, we excerpted this recipe for healthy, mouthwatering muffins.

¼ cup dried apricots

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup raw wheat germ

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped

1 egg

1 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

¼ cup oil

Makes 1 dozen muffins

  1. Cover the dried apricots with boiling water. Let stand at least 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and pecans in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a smaller bowl, beat the egg, then add the yogurt, honey, and oil. When the apricots are soft, roughly chop them.
  4. Add the wet ingredients and the chopped apricots to the dry ingredients. Mix only until slightly blended.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a muffin tin and pour the batter so that each cup is half full. Bake muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned. Serve with butter and fruit preserves, if desired.

From A Painter’s Kitchen: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O’Keeffe (MNMP, © 2009 by Margaret Wood)

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