Apple & Cinnamon Bran Muffins

These are the easiest and most versatile muffins you can make. No need for any scrabbling around in the back of your cupboard looking for that elusive beater for your electric mixer...no, no. These beautiful muffins require the absolute basic kitchen equipment.  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and Knitting!!

I've been knitting a LOT recently, it's the most relaxing hobby for this time of the year. I can be found clacking needles in front of a roaring fire with half an eye on the television and the other on which row I'm on. 

It gives your brain a real work out though and I find that I get the munchies...it doesn't take long for my hungry brain to imagine steaming cups of coffee and some tasty, chocolatey muffins!  

 

I have fallen in love with this particular free knitting pattern, it's called the Swirled Ski Cap from the Craft Yarn Council and it is surprisingly easy and soooo pretty. 

It's basically a knitted parallelogram that when sewn up, gives this beautiful, buttercream swirl which can be topped off with a fun pom pom. I haven knitted it twice so far experimenting with different yarns and colours. This is my favourite combination, it matches a cowl I knitted late last year, I added the pink blanket stitch to the cowl to make them a matching set. They both stylish and extremely warm for these wintry days.

Chocolate Muffins

The only warning I can give you is, don't burn your mouth when eating these straight from the oven, yeah they're that good.

Morning Madness Muffins

I'm an early riser, my alarm clock starts shouting for my attention at 06.30 and if it is persuasive enough I'll crawl out of bed (I think a main line IV of espresso would also be very helpful, especially on dark winter morning to jump start the day!) That said I am very diligent about providing a proper cooked breakfast, all at the expense of eating something proper myself. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and although I agree I sometimes find that I'm the one eating on the run! Getting lunches made, uniforms on and school bags in order can eat up a lot of time. This is my fallback breakfast plan, as I usually end up having my breakfast after the school run is finished.
These muffins are full of traditional breakfast ingredients but all wrapped up in a muffin, the batter is a mix of porridge oats and dried fruit, all of which is filled with gooey marmalade or apricot preserve topped off with crunchy porridge oats, what more could you ask for when time is against you!

*This recipe is a hybrid of two brilliant recipes   To Die for Blueberry Muffins  and Odlums Morning Muffins 

Makes 8- 9 Muffins



Ingredients
190g Plain flour
150g Granulated sugar
50g Porridge oats
3g Salt
9g Baking powder
125g Raisins or chopped dried apricots
80mls Vegetable oil
80mls Milk
4 tbsp Orange juice
1 Egg

Filling
9 tsp Marmalade or apricot preserve

Topping
50g Demerara Sugar
75g Porridge 
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with 8 or 9 paper cases (I usually use Dr. Oetker Muffin paper cases). Stir together the plain flour, sugar, porridge oats, salt, baking powder and dried fruit together in a large bowl. Meanwhile in a small jug or bowl combine the oil, milk, orange juice and the egg with a fork. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, combine gently but thoroughly (this makes for softer muffins if you don't over mix the batter).   



Divide the muffin batter between the muffin cases, I find it's best to only ¾ fill the paper cases allowing room for the topping. With a floured thumb, make a deep hole in the centre of the muffin batter.



Fill the each muffin with a teaspoonful of the marmalade or apricot preserve, using the teaspoon to coax the jam into place (a rather satisfying part of the whole process I must say).

Don't they look so pretty, all ready and waiting for the topping!



For the topping combine the sugar and porridge oats with the vegetable oil, thoroughly mix everything together.



Divide topping evenly (about 1½-2 tsp per muffin) between the muffins. Heaping the topping over the jammy centre should prevent sink holes appearing in the porridge topping!

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are risen and golden. To test if they are fully cooked, gently press your finger slightly off centre if it springs back it's good to go.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes allowing for the jam to cool and serve with a mug of coffee on the go!

Chocolate Beetroot Cakes

  

Odd combination or culinary delight? Well I have to say that I think these are a culinary delight! Their fudgy texture is very moreish, no hint of the secret ingredient, and believe me I kept it secret, if for one minute my children detected my ruse then not one would have been eaten. Granted there was trepidation the very first time I tried this recipe, but upon the first bite my fears were allayed. So try a (healthy!!) treat and be assured that there is at least some goodness in your coffee morning treat!

Recipe adapted from BBC Food

 Makes 12

Ingredients
75g Cocoa powder or powdered drinking chocolate
180g Plain flour
2 tsp Baking powder
250g Caster sugar
250g Cooked beetroot (the one in the vacuum pack)
3 Large eggs
200ml Vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4. Arrange paper muffin cases in a 12-mould muffin tin. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the sugar, and set aside.




In a small bowl, finely grate the beetroot. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and oil and blend until smooth.




Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and lightly mix.




Pour into the muffin cases.




Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is firm when pressed with a finger. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar to serve.






























Calendar Cakes: Laura Loves Cakes and Dolly Bakes

Sticky Toffee Muffins

These were inspired by some shop bought muffins I bought a couple of months ago, they were awful. So I've been busy at work experimenting with some recipes to make the perfect sticky toffee muffin. I have tried some ice-cream toffee sauce for the middle but it just sinks into the muffin so if you can try and find the tinned Carnation Caramel. It's thicker consistency stays put! 

Makes 12-14

Ingredients
115g Butter
100g Plain chocolate
280g Plain flour
200g Light brown sugar
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1tsp Salt
1 Medium egg
1tsp Vanilla essence
100ml Buttermilk or plain yogurt
150ml Milk
52g Fudge pieces (optional)
90-100g Carnation caramel
Crushed digestive biscuit

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/ Gas Mark 4 degrees and line two muffin trays with 12-14 paper cases or muffins tulips. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small bowl, stir and leave to cool.

Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl, stir to remove any lumps in the flour and sugar.

Whisk the egg, buttermilk, milk and vanilla together with a fork then add the melted chocolate.

Slowly add the wet to the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the fudge pieces.

Mix very gently with a wooden spoon. Fill the paper case about a third of the way up with the mix, make a well in the middle, place a teaspoon of the caramel sauce and then top with remaining mix. Sprinkle with the biscuit crumbs for extra crunch (to prevent the muffins from overflowing in the oven, only fill the muffin cases ¾ full)

Divide the mixture evenly and bake for 22-25 minutes or when the tops are gently pressed they spring back.

Blueberry Muffins

I originally got this recipe from All Recipes and thought, sure why not, they might be nice, well they're a revelation, so soft inside but crunchy on top. These are brilliant muffins if you want one with your mid-morning coffee or even for breakfast. Simple enough for children to help make too. I sometimes double the batter mix to make 18 medium sized muffins.

Makes 8 large muffins 

190g Plain flour

150g Granulated sugar
3g Salt
9g Baking powder
80mls Vegetable oil
80mls Milk
1 Egg
145g Blueberries

Topping

100g Granulated sugar ( I like to use demerera sugar for extra crunch)
40g Plain flour
50g Butter Cubed
3g Cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/ Gas Mark 6. Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the combined wet ingredients. Fold together and add the blueberries. Make the topping by combining the ingredient with a fork and sprinkle on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I'm all for using electric mixers in baking but in this recipe it's best to do it by hand, stir no more than 50 times though!