Brown Butter & Stone Fruit Scuffins

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until the milk solids turn a deep amber and smell nutty. Immediately remove from heat.

Using a pastry brush, coat each well of the muffin tin with 30g of the browned butter. Apply in two thin layers, allowing the first to set slightly to ensure a non-stick, caramelized crust.

In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ, cane sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt to aerate and remove clumps.

Drizzle the remaining 70g of browned butter over the dry ingredients. Use a fork to toss the mixture until it resembles coarse, sandy pebbles. Do not overmix into a paste.

In a medium bowl, emulsify the egg, milk, and heavy cream. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and fold gently until a tacky, cohesive dough forms.

Set aside 25% of the dough. Divide the remaining dough into 12 portions (approx 45g each) and press into the muffin cups, pushing the dough up the sides to create a distinct well.

Place 15-18g of preserves into each well. Pinch off small fragments of the reserved dough and scatter them over the fruit. Finish with a light dusting of raw sugar for crunch.

Bake for 22-25 minutes at 175°C (350°F) until the edges are deeply bronzed and the fruit center is bubbling. Internal temperature should reach 93°C (200°F).

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes to let the structure set. Run a small offset spatula around the edges and transfer to a wire rack to prevent the bottoms from steaming.