Preparation

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with parchment liners or cupcake liners. Or, generously grease with butter or nonstick spray.
• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, add sugar and melted butter and beat for 2 minutes until it's light in color and creamy. Add in eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until it's just combined.
• Sprinkle in the pistachio pudding and pour in milk. Mix until just combined. Add in all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until flour has been just barely incorporated. Be careful not to overmix. Divide batter amongst each liner, filling just short of the top, about ¾ full. Sprinkle the tops with chopped pistachios (optional).
• Bake in the preheated 425 degree oven for 7 minutes. At the 7 min. mark, reduce the heat down to 350 degrees but do not open the oven. Continue to bake for 8-10 minutes or until the muffin is cooked all the way through. Place on a wire rack for cooling.
• Prepare two small bowls, one with ½ cup melted butter and the other with ½ cup sugar. While the muffins have cooled enough to handle but still warm, dip the muffins top-down into the melted butter, enough to coat the top. Then dip them into the sugar, rolling enough to evenly coat the top. Place back onto wire rack to finish cooling.
• Cover leftover muffins and store at room temperature for 2 days or wrap them individually and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.