Creamy Apricot Pastries

Makes 10.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
10 canned apricot halves, well drained, and
    1/3 cup syrup reserved
1 cup whipped cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10 standard size muffin pan cups.

Mix together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Stir together oil, milk, eggs and vanilla extract

At low speed, beat flour mixture into milk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling cups two-thirds full.

Bake pastries until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Loosen pastries by running a metal spatula around sides of cups. Turn pastries out onto rack to cool completely.

Sprinkle remaining sugar over bottoms and sides of pastries. Trim pastry tops level.

To prepare topping, brush pastries with reserved syrup.

Spoon whipped cream on top of pastries. Place apricot halves, rounded-sides up, on top of whipped cream.