Recipe - Hazelnut-Carrot Muffins

1/3 cup Hazelnuts
Three fourths cup Fresh orange juice
1 cup Chopped dried figs
One half cup Sugar
2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Grated orange rind
1 lg Egg
1 lg Egg white
1 One half cup Allpurpose flour
1 One half teaspoon Baking soda
One fourth teaspoon Salt
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350›.

2. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake at 350› for 15 minutes, stirring
once. Turn nuts onto a towel. Roll up towel; rub off skins. Chop nuts.

3. Bring orange juice to a boil; pour over figs in a bowl. Let stand 15
minutes. Combine sugar, oil, rind, egg, and egg white; stir well with a
whisk. Stir into fig mixture.

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine
flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of
mixture. Add fig mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon
batter into an 8 x 4inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with
nuts. Bake at 350› for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan.
Cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 12