Fat Free Blueberry Muffins

I was delighted to find this recipe in Good Housekeeping's The Baking Book.  Sometimes I find muffins a bit too stodgy and sticky with the amount of fat or oil in it.  I was unsure how it would work but I decided to try it anyway.  It is super easy to whip up when time is tight and totally fail safe.  I've used this recipe several times now and I have changed the recipe very slightly, reduced the amount of sugar and lemon, as the original was a bit too sweet and the lemon was very overpowering.

I am the "Queen of Ugly Cakes"!!!

They may not look perfect but they are definitely yumdiddilyumscious!!  

They always look like the elephant man but the look doesn't affect the taste.

Fat Free Blueberry Muffins

2 medium eggs

250ml milk

200g golden granulated sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

350g plain flour

4tsp baking powder

250g frozen blueberries

finely grated zest of one lemon

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
• Put the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and mix well.
• In another bowl sift together the flour and baking powder, then add the blueberries and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre.
• Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix in gently.  
• Divide the mixture between the equally among the muffin cases.
• Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and just firm.
• Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Hopefully your muffins will look better than mine but I bet that they will taste gorgeous.

Enjoy.

Rosie

Coconut And Apple Oaties

We all love oaties here in this house and I think that they are a great source of fibre for the kids.  With this recipe I thought that I'd combine a couple of my favourite ingredients; coconut, cinnamon and apples. The apples are a little soft after baking. This may not be to everyone's taste and if you prefer you can always leave them out.  They will taste just a good. I hope that you like them as much as we do.  So here goes...

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
100g soft light brown sugar
1 egg
2btsp water
1/2tsp cinnamon
110g self raising flour
125g porridge oats
125g coconut
1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Soften the butter in a food mixer or a large bowl. 
• Add the soft brown sugar and cater sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Next add in the water, egg and combine well.
• Using a wooden spoon mix in the flour, porridge oats, apples and coconut.  This will form a mixture like dough.
• Take pieces of dough the size of walnuts and roll in your hands to make balls.
• Spread these apart on two papered baking sheets.
• Bake for 20mins.  They should be light golden brown but still slightly soft to touch in the middle.
• Let them cool on the trays for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.
• Sit with a lovely cuppa, put your feet up and delight in what a wonderful domestic goddess you are.

Raisin And Walnut Muffins

This recipe is for all walnut lovers and forgive me for not trying this out first but I am not included in this category.  My mother makes these all the time and loves them.  It's an old recipe that she found on a Prestige baking tin.  It's a slightly unusual and very easy recipe.  Hope that you enjoy.

Ingredients:
325g Plain Flour
100g Caster Sugar
1tbsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Salt
1 Egg
325ml Milk
75ml Vegetable Oil
50ml Sweet Sherry
75g Walnut Pieces
75g Raisins

Method:

• Sieve together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
• Beat the egg lightly and stir in the milk, vegetable oil and sherry.
• Mix liquid into the dry ingredients.
• Do not over mix
• The mixture will appear slightly lumpy.
• Stir in the walnuts and raisins.
• Divide between the 12 muffin cups.
• Bake at 200°C for 20/25mins.
• Lift the muffins from tins and cool on a wire rack

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yipppee, finally I've managed to make up a recipe for Chocolate Chip Muffins that are light and fluffy.  Any recipe that I've tried before I found to be either too dense and heavy, too sweet or too moist.   By mixing up lots of different recipes and tweeking here and there I came up with this one.  Which proved to be so popular with the family that I had to be quick at getting my photo before they disappeared.

Ingredients:
350g Plain Flour
40g Good Quality Cocoa Powder
175g Caster Sugar
1tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
300ml Buttermilk
2 Eggs, Beaten
85g Butter, Melted
1tsp Vanilla Extract
100g Milk Chocolate, Roughly Chopped (You can use dark chocolate here but I use milk because my kids prefer it)


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.  I use cases because I find them much cleaner in the tin and when the kids are eating them.
2. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, salt caster sugar and then sieve in the cocoa powder.  
3. In a jug measure out 300ml of buttermilk and add in the eggs , vanilla and melted butter. Whisk together with a fork until well combined.  One thing that I learned the hard way was to take the buttermilk out of the fridge for about 15mins before baking because even if the melted butter has cooled, if it hit cold buttermilk it solidifies again. 
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the the liquid.  The key here is not to overmix. Gently mix until just combined.
5. Add in the chopped chocolate and give it only a light stir.
6. With a ice-cream scoop divide the mixture between the muffin cases
7. Bake for 25mins until risen.
8. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 5mins before taking out of the tray and onto a wire rack.