Lemon Curd White Bean Mini Muffin Sandwiches

Makes approximately 72 mini muffins.

Ingredients:

1 box organic vanilla pudding mix
2¾ cup organic unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup organic cane sugar
¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 can of organic Great Northern Beans (15-ounce)
½ cup sunflower oil
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained (2-3 lemons)
2 large organic cage-free eggs
1 cup Lemon Curd (see recipe below)
½ cup lemon yogurt (4 ounces)
½ cup organic whole milk
3 teaspoons organic lemon flavor
Zest from 2 lemons, finely grated

Instructions:

Prepare the Lemon Curd (see below) and the vanilla pudding in advance, and refrigerate them until you’re ready to use them.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease mini muffin pans, including the tops so muffin-tops don’t stick.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Set aside.
Drain and rinse the beans. Purée them in a food processor with the oil until they’re a lumpy mashed potato consistency. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the bean purée and purée until it’s a smooth and creamy consistency.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together.
Add the bean purée to the eggs and whisk until they’re creamy.
Add the yogurt, milk, flavor and zest to the wet ingredients and whisk until creamy.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. The batter will be lumpy.
With a small spoon, fill the muffin pan holes about ¾ of the way.
Bake in the oven for 14 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool on a wire rack. Slice the muffins in half when you’re ready to serve them.
Spread a thin layer of Lemon Curd on one half of the muffin and vanilla pudding on the other half. Press them together to form a mini muffin sandwich and serve immediately.

Alternative to muffin sandwiches: Core, fill and top mini muffins with Lemon Curd only (skip the vanilla pudding).

Shortcut: use jarred baby food instead of homemade puréed beans.

Lemon Curd

Makes about 2 cups of Lemon Curd.

4 large organic free-range eggs
1 cup organic cane sugar
⅔ cup fresh lemon juice, strained (3 lemons)
2 tablespoons of salted butter

Ingredients:

If you don’t have a double boiler, put a few inches of water into a medium saucepan and put it on the stove to boil.
In the meantime, whisk the eggs together in a medium metal mixing bowl.
Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk them until they’re creamy. Set the bowl aside.
Juice three lemons, straining the pulp and seeds (should = ⅔ cup of fresh lemon juice).
When the water in the saucepan is boiling, turn it down to a low simmer and place the metal mixing bowl with the egg mixture on top of the saucepan to simulate a double boiler. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the simmering water. It should be about 1-2” from the water.
Slowly add the lemon juice to the egg mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy (5-10 minutes). Do not overcook it or it will curdle.
Take the bowl off the saucepan when the curd is the desired consistency, and whisk in the butter until it’s melted.
Refrigerate the Lemon Curd until you’re ready to use it.

Note: if you have a double boiler, adjust the instructions above accordingly.