Christmas Morning Muffins ~ Sweet & Simple Bake

I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year 09 and may all your dreams and wishes come true!!

I’m pleased to say it’s been a quite festive time here but with lots of good food and basically enjoying being with the family. The family are now over their bouts of flu and I wave good bye to the back of that little episode thankfully. I hope now to get back to normal baking up some tasty treats for you this year. To kick start this year off here I am presenting you with a bake from Sweet and Simple Bakes.

For our December bake at Sweet and Simple Bakes it was chosen by a poll vote and we had a sensational amount of 67 votes cast in our poll!! The clear winner was Nigella’s Christmas Morning Muffins.

These muffins are a quick and easy bake for a Christmas morning breakfast (or any breakfast come to that); with glorious aromas of spices and flavours emitting through the air as they bake. They are perfect for a light breakfast either served plain or broken open smeared with butter and marmalade. This recipe is sourced and adapted from Nigella Christmas cookbook. A very beautiful book by, The Domestic Goddess’s herself and it’s defiantly is worth purchasing for all the magnificent festive recipes inside.

Christmas Morning Muffins ~ adapted from Nigella Christmas Book

Makes 12

Ingredients
250g (9 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g (4 oz) caster (super fine) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Good grating of fresh nutmeg (or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg)
2 Clementine’s or Satsuma’s *see notes*
Approx 125ml (4 fl oz) full-fat milk
75g 3 oz) vegetable oil (or melted butter, left to cool slightly)
1 egg
175g (6 oz) dried cranberries
For The Topping
3 tsp Demerara sugar *see notes*

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin paper cases.

Measure the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s over and combine.
Squeeze the juice of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s into a measuring jug, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 200ml (7 fl oz) mark.

Add the oil (or slightly cooled, melted butter) and egg, and lightly beat until just combined.

Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is more or less combined, remembering that a well-beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins; a lumpy batter is a good here.

Fold in the cranberries, then spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The muffins are ready to eat now either plain or broken up and smeared with butter and marmalade.

* Notes*

*Cranberries could also be replaced with another dried fruit of choice*

* Clementine’s/Satsuma’s*

If you’re unable to source Clementine’s or Satsuma’s, 1 orange of zest and juice would be adequate.

* Demerara Sugar is*: Large crystals, golden in colour, which also adds a crunch to baked goods.

*Question*: I can’t purchase Demerara sugar - what could I use instead?

Granulated Sugar: This is a pure, naturally white, crystalline sugar.

Sugar Cubes: Brown/white, would be a lovely addition instead of Demerara sugar; crunched up and sprinkled over the top of each muffin before baking.

Sweet & Simple Bakes - Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

The 1st of each month brings the latest bake from Sweet & Simple Bakes everyone is welcome to join us just click the adove link for more information :)

This month heralds a great little recipe for Banana chocolate chip muffins. They’re Sweet & Simple to make and wonderful in texture and taste. I always have a few ripe bananas lurking in my fruit bowl so what a great way of using them up! I know for sure I will be turning again to this recipe to whip up some quick delicious muffins!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
125ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
250g plain flour
100g caster sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g dark/milk chocolate (white chocolate or butterscotch chips/morsels)


Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan oven/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers.

Mash the bananas and set aside for a moment. Pour the oil into a jug and beat in the eggs.
Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl and mix in the beaten-egg-and-oil mixture, followed by the mashed bananas.
Fold in the chocolate morsels, then place equal quantities in the prepared muffin tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

White Chocolate Heaven Muffins

The weather has been awful over the past few days here with freezing fog and freezing moisture that resembles snow. Icicles hung from the shed roof outside and the garden looked as if it had been painted all over in white yesterday. The birds lined up to take it in turns to feed from a little bird feeder I have hanging in the tree, so all in all it’s been a bleak winters tale.

This leads me onto my bake for today; I thought I would go with a white theme from the weather we’ve had here and I came up with my “White Chocolate Heaven Muffins”. The texture I aimed for in this sponge was a light moist crumb and with the addition of buttermilk to my recipe, I am more than happy with the results. I thought a creamy white chocolate ganache would be perfect for the topping. Adding a few sugar flowers and sugar strand sprinkles for decoration. The little sugar flowers I made yesterday sat in my warm conservatory whilst also watching the birds queue for feeding outside.

White Chocolate Heaven Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
375g (13 oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
225g (8 oz) caster sugar
100g (4 oz) good white chocolate – I used Green & Blacks
250ml tub of buttermilk
150g (5 oz) butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
White Chocolate Ganache
100g (4 oz) good white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
200ml (7 fl oz) double cream
25g (1 oz) butter

Decoration

A few decorations of sugar flowers, sugar strand sprinkles

You will need a 12-holed muffin tin and 12 paper muffin cases placed into each muffin hole.

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Melt the while chocolate over a heatproof bowl sat on top of just simmering water. When melted take off the heat and give the chocolate a good stir.

In a sieve over a large mixing bowl sift the flour and baking powder together, then add the sugar and mix through with a spoon making a well in the middle.

In a large jug add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, cooled melted butter and whisk through to combine. Pour all this mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and then add the slightly cooled white melted chocolate. With a large metal spoon gently fold in the fluids to the flour mixture. Try not to overwork the mixture or the muffins will become tough when baked. Place equally amounts in each muffin case – they will be quite full but don’t worry.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 25 – 35 minutes until the feel firm in the middle when pressed lightly with fingertips and light golden in colour. You can also test by inserting a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean the muffins are ready.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the white chocolate ganache; In a large saucepan add the cream and butter and gently bring up to the boil take off the heat and the butter should have melted into the cream. Next add the chopped white chocolate and stir until melted (off the heat). Place the saucepan over a bowl of cold water and keep stirring until it firms up and thickens to a spreadable consistency. (Don’t let any of the water spill into the ganache).

Spread the white creamy chocolate ganche equally over the top of each muffin. Lastly sprinkle over sugar strands and place a sugar flower in the middle.

Note: if you are unable to find buttermilk use skimmed milk instead in this recipe.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

It’s a cold blustery day here with impending snow on the way so what does Rosie do best on a day like today? Well, I plod off into my warm and cosy kitchen and turn on the oven to bake some gorgeous muffins!

I had one very ripe banana left lurking in the fruit bowl crying out for attention, so I thought a muffin would be fitting to eat warm with a steaming hot drink and the family will demolish the rest when they arrive back home later, *giggle*.

The textures to my muffins are very light with delights of banana and chocolate chip chunks. When eaten warm, the chocolate is still in its semi liquid form and that instant pleasure erupts into your mouth hitting that vital zone of chocolate heaven – yum!

Showing the texture of the muffins with its semi liquid form of chocolate

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 medium sized muffins

Ingredients
275g (10 oz) Self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
125g (4½ oz) caster sugar
175g (6 oz) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
100mls (3½ fl oz) whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large ripe banana, mashed with a fork
100g (4 oz) Green & Blacks Milk Chocolate, chopped into fine chunks

You will need a 12-hole muffin tin lined with paper muffin cases, medium size.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

In a sieve over a mixing bowl sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add the sugar and butter and rub through with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the middle for adding the liquids. In a large jug add the milk, egg and vanilla extract and give this a little whisk with a fork to blend them together. Pour into the well of the flour mixture and gently stir through trying not to over mix with a wooden spoon. Add the banana and chocolate chips and again gently stir through the mixture. Divide the mixture equally between the muffin cases making sure you leave a slight gap at the top for the mixture to expand when baking.

Place into the preheated oven for 20 –25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch in the middle. You can also test to see if baked enough by inserting a skewer into the middle and it should not have any sponge mixture clinging to it.

Place onto a wire rack in the tin to cool for 5 minutes before turning out fully onto the rack. Can be eaten warm or cold.

Note: Chocolate chips can be used in this recipe instead of chopping up chocolate, and dark chocolate could be used instead of milk chocolate.

Very ripe bananas give the best flavour in this recipe. Enjoy :)

Blueberry Muffins

I can feel guilt free eating one of these gorgeous blueberry muffins after all it is known that blueberries are good for you and I’ll go along with that anytime. Kidding put aside, I do enjoy using blueberries in baking and I hear you ask why? I adore the way they burst into freedom coating with their wonderful luscious blueness into the cake/muffins.

Imagine breaking open a fresh blueberry muffin still warm with your choice of coffee/tea, a perfect combo for breakfast on the run or a midmorning snack? Well I don’t need an excuse to eat these muffins be it breakfast, lunch or dinner I just can’t resist at anytime * giggle*. You see my will power is weak with these darling muffins, how is your will power I ask?

Here is my recipe:

Blueberry Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
75g (3 oz) soft butter
75g (3 oz) caster sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 large egg, beaten
Few drops of vanilla extract
100 ml (3½ fl oz) milk
110g (4 oz) fresh blueberries or 150g (5 oz) dried blueberries

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Line a muffin tin with 6 large muffin cases.

In a bowl sift the flour and baking powder together and put to one side for later.

In another bowl add the butter, sugar and honey and beat until light and fluffy. Next add a little of the beaten egg at a time so the mixture doesn’t curdle and also add the vanilla extract and then beat the mixture until all incorporated.

Stir in the flour and milk alternately beginning with flour and ending with flour. Gently fold in the blueberries trying not to crush them and then spoon the mixture into your muffin cases equally.

Place in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes until golden and cooked. To check if cooked, the tops should feel firm to touch and when a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean with no mixture clinging.

Note: check the muffins after 25 minutes in the oven to see if cooked. Every oven is different and some cook faster/slower.