Mini barnbrack

I have nearly forgotten I have this recipe to publish. I have baked those muffins during Halloween time. If you try to make them  I promise you will enjoy them even now. Barnbrack is traditional Irish Halloween cake usually baked with some hidden surprises so people who find coin, ring etc..could foreseen their future. Anyway it's very tasty. Packed with dried fruits and spices served with butter... yum. The recipe comes form this website . 

 Ingredients for 12 barnbracks:

• 225g dried fruits (raisins and cranberries)
• 2 cups strong tea
• 55 ml warm milk
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 350g flour
• 80g sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 35g soft butter
• 1 tsp salt

 Fruits place in a bowl and cover with tea. Leave them to soak overnight or at least one hour.

Pour milk into a cup add yeast and sugar stir well and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a meantime put the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg into an electric mixer bowl and mix them until combined. Then make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture add egg, butter and salt. Knead with hook attachment for about 10 minutes. After that time dough should be smooth. 

Drain the fruits, chop them into smaller chunks. Add to the dough and knead until fruits are well incorporated. 

Transfer the dough into a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for minimum an hour to rise. 

Grease muffin tin holes or round baking tin.

Transfer the dough on the worktop and knead it for a few minutes. Then divide into 12 pieces and place each dough ball into muffin tin hole. You can easily place whole piece of dough into round cake tin. Set aside to prove for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes for muffins or 35 - 45 minutes for cake.

Serve sliced with butter and hot tea.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Nuttella stuffed cinnamon muffins

Moist, fluffy cake with crunchy cinnamon sugar coating filled with nutella just yum :). They were perfect, especially for the day when too much sugar is not enough sugar. We really enjoyed them. The recipe comes form this web site.

Ingredients for 8 muffins:

• 75g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 120 ml milk
• 190g flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tsp nutella

Grease or line with paper cases the muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 220C.

Into a big bowl put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and mix them well. 

In separate jug mix the egg, milk and vanilla.

Using hand or free standing mixer beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them in. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the mixture.

 Spoon the batter into paper cases, 1 table spoon each. Then add 1 teaspoon of nutella and cover with batter. You may fill the muffin holes up to the top they won't overflow.

Insert into an oven. Bake in 220C for first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 175C and bake for another 15 minutes. When baked transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

While the muffins are cooling down prepare the cinnamon sugar topping.

Cinnamon sugar topping:

• 50g sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 45g butter

Melt the butter and set aside. In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Take one muffin and dip it in melted butter then dip it again in cinnamon - sugar. Press a bit so all top would be evenly coated with sugar. Repeat with remaining muffins. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Spinach and feta mini pie

Today I would like to present spinach, feta and ricotta mini pies. First time i have been eating this snack years ago in Greece and really enjoyed that. I have recently decided to recreate that flavour and, have to admit, with good result. As usually on my blog they were very easy to make and bake :)

Ingredients for 12 mini pies:

• 450g frozen spinach thawed
• 2 eggs
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 270g feta
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pepper
• 6 sheets filo pastry
• olive oil

Thaw the spinach and drain all excess liquid. Place the spinach in a bowl. Add the eggs, ricotta, nutmeg, pepper and mix them together. Then add crumbled feta cheese and fold the chunks in. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush muffin tin cups with olive oil. Cut the filo pastry into squares 12 x 12 cm approximately. Line each muffin tin cup with few pieces of filo pastry. Make sure to push the pastry down so it is in the corners of each muffin hole. 

filo pastry

When all pastry is divide among all muffin cups. Spoon the filling into each one. Then fold over the excess of filo pastry so all filing would be covered. 

Brush the pastry with olive oil.

Insert the tin into preheated oven. Bake about 20 minutes until pastry turns gold and filling won't be wobbly. 

baked

Keep the pies in muffin tin for a few minutes until they slightly cool down. Then transfer to the plate. 

Enjoy warm or cooled down.

For recipe in Polish look here, please.

Gingerbread and banana muffins

Today I would like to present gingerbread and banana muffins. They were really good, moist, dense, spicy .... in my opinion they were just perfect. I have decorated them with white frosting, the same which is used to decorate gingerbread cookies. For additional spice I have sprinkled them with chopped crystallized ginger. What is worth to mention those muffins are egg free and they contain some wholewheat flour. The recipe comes form this website. 

Ingredients for 12 - 16 muffins *:

• 130g wholewheat flour
• 175g flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 90g Dark Muscovado sugar
• 3 bananas (about 275g mashed bananas)
• 145g black treacle
• 112g buttermilk
• 4 tbsp canola oil

* I have baked mine in muffin cases and cardboard molds.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

With a fork mash the bananas. Add the sugar, black treacle, buttermilk, canola oil and mix until smooth. 

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones. Mix until all ingredients just combined. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Check with skewer. If skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean the cake is ready. 

Transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

In a meantime prepare the frosting. 

Frosting:

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• chopped crystallized ginger

Place the egg white and icing sugar in a bowl and stir with spoon until smooth and white. Drizzle over each cooled down muffin. Then sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger. 

Mini quiche light

Today I would like to present my try to Lorraine Pascale recipe. This is light version of mini quiche. The regular pastry was replaced with filo pastry, some of eggs with egg whites... I have to say I like them better than regular quiche. The pastry was flaky and crunchy, not soggy. The filling was creamy with crunchy bites of bacon and small onion chunks.  What I like the most was that it took two bites to eat them. This is perfect finger food for this festive season. 

Ingredients for 12 mini quiche:

• 1 onion
• 150g bacon trimmed of any fat and diced
• pinch of thyme
• 200g half - fat creme fraiche
• 75 ml low fat milk
• 25 g finely grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 and 1/2 sheets filo pastry
• 1 tbsp mustard
• slat and pepper
• olive oil

Dice the onion and bacon. Cook the onion until soft then add bacon and thyme and continue to cook until the bacon is cook through. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush the muffin tin cups with olive oil. Cut the filo pastry into squares 12 x 12 cm approximately. Line each muffin tin cup with three pieces of filo pastry. Make sure to push the pastry down so it is in the corners of each muffin hole. Then with a brush or your finger spread small amount of mustard on the bottom of each mini quiche. Set aside. 

Pour the milk, creme - fraiche, Parmesan, eggs, egg whites, nutmeg, salt, pepper into a measuring jar and whisk them with fork until smooth. 

Place the muffin tin in front of you divide the fried bacon and onion among all mini quiche bases, then pour in the mixture of eggs and cream. Brush the exposed pastry with a little oil.

Insert the muffin tin into preheated oven. Bake until the filling won't be wobbly in the middle and filo pastry turns gold, about 30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven. Leave for a few minutes in muffin tin. Then holding gently by exposed pastry twist a little and lift up. Sprinkle with chopped chive.

 Enjoy !

Cinnamon, courgette, carrot and cranberry muffins

I have recently came across this interesting recipe. And because I had all necessary ingredients home I gave it a try immediately. I was especially happy to use frozen cranberries as I had a pack of them in my freezer for ages. Muffins were very tasty. Soft, moist, not too sweet a little bit sour  with lovely crust. I think one of my favourite. What more important my children eat them despite the fact they were packed with vegetables.

Ingredients for 12 big or 24 smaller muffins:

• 320g flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 220g sugar
• 230 ml canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 medium size carrot about 80 g
• 1 medium size courgette 180g
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 120g frozen cranberries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Finely grate the carrot and courgette.

Place the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg ans sugar in a big bowl and mix all ingredients together. 

In separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla. Pour this mixture in a  bowl with grated veggies add frozen cranberries and mix. Add everything into a dry ingredients. Mix everything until just combined.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. When ready remove form the oven. Let the muffin cool for a few minutes in baking tin then transfer to the wire rack to cool down completely.  

Repeat with remaining batter.

Enjoy ! 

For recipe in Polish look here.

Pumpkin muffins

This is the last pumpkin muffin recipe in this pumpkin season. I didn't want to bake any pumpkin cakes but I had remaining of pumpkin pure and I found Anna Olson recipe which I wanted to try. Muffin were tender, springy in touch, moist and spicy.

Ingredients for 6 - 9 muffins:

• 65g wholewheat flour
• 50g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
•  1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 190g pumpkin pure
• 60g brown sugar
• 75g buttermilk
• 1 egg white
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp canola oil

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl combine the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice and set aside.

In separate bowl stir together the pumpkin pure, sugar, buttermilk, egg white and canola oil. Pour this mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients until just moist.

Spoon the batter into paper cases up to 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. When baked transfer to a wire rack to cool down.

Enjoy !

Mini pumpkin pie

Flaky pastry, made of wholewheat flour  with spicy, creamy pumpkin filling. 

Ingredients for pastry:

• 125 ml unsalted, cold butter
• 290 ml whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar

Cold butter cut into small chunks and set aside for 30 minutes.

Put the flour, sugar, salt into a  bowl and mix all ingredients. Add the butter and  mix it with your fingers until the dough is a rough, crumbly texture.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg, water and lemon juice or vinegar. Then add it to the dough all at once, mixing until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap into a foil and put into a fridge to chill for at least one hour. I kept mine in fridge overnight.

Remove the dough from the fridge about half an hour before rolling.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Dust a working surface with a flour. Remove the dough from the cling film. Break the dough with your fingers to make it workable then roll it until 3 milimiters thin. Cut 12 circles from the dough. The circles should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of mini tart molds or ramekins. I used silicone mini tart mold. Place the dough circles into a molds and chill them in the fridge while preparing the filling.

Filling:

• 250 ml pumpkin pure
• 150 ml sweet condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 60 ml whipping cream
• 2 small eggs

To make the filling put the pumpkin pure, milk, spices, eggs and whipping cream in the electric mixer bowl and mix until smooth. Remove the dough form the fridge and pour the filling into each pastry shell. Bake into preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is set. Cool the pies down and enjoy !

 

Fruit Cocktail muffins

Fruit cocktail muffins were very nice. Whit cinnamon flavour, moist, packed with fruits and walnuts sprinkle with sugar. The recipe comes from 'Muffin sampler' by Jan Siegrist.

Ingredients for 12-16 muffins:

• 285g flour
• 120g sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1tsp grated lemon peel
• 1 can fruit cocktail
• 1 egg
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 75g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and lemon peel.

Drain the fruit cocktail reserving the syrup. 

Top up the syrup with some water to get 190ml of liquid. Add the eggs and oil to the syrup and whisk well.

Pour into a dry ingredients mixture. Stir until just moist. Then gently fold in the fruits and chopped walnuts. 

Spoon the batter into a paper cases, 3/4 full and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Ingredients for cinnamon sugar:

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Put both ingredients into a small bowl and stir well. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool down on wire rack.

Gingerbread muffins with rum soaked prunes and chocolate icing

Very spicy a little bit dry cake with rum soaked prunes and chocolate on top. Have to say they were very tasty. Slightly different then traditional moist muffins  but good. The recipe comes form here.

Ingredients for 5 big muffins:

• 70g honey
• 40g butter
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 tsp soda
• 200g flour
• 60ml milk
• 100g prunes
• rum

Put the prunes into a small bowl pour over the rum to cover all prunes a leave them for a few hours to soak.

Pour the honey, butter and spices into a sauce pan and heat up until the butter melts down. Stir well and set aside to cool down.

Drain and chop the prunes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the egg and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the baking soda into a sauce pan with honey and spices mixture. Stir in well. Pour this mixture into egg mixture. Mix gently. Gently fold in half of the flour, when combined add the milk and remaining  flour. At last but not at least gently fold in the prunes.

 

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. When removed form the oven transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

Chocolate icing:

• 50g chocolate
• 1 tbsp butter
• sugar sprinkles (optional)

Melt the butter and chocolate in microwave or in a pan over a steaming water. When smooth spoon over each muffin top. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. Enjoy !

Gingerbread latte

Those cupcakes were very delicious. Gingerbread flavour, soft and rich cake with cinnamon and coffee butter cream. Perfect ! The recipe comes form 'Making cupcakes with Lola' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12-18 cupcakes:

• 120g golden syrup
• 120g black treacle
• 200g heavy cream
• 250g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 and 1/2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 135g butter
• 125g brown sugar
• 2 eggs

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa, coffee, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg, salt into a big bowl and set aside.

Put the golden syrup, black treacle and heavy cream into a sauce pan. Heat the ingredients up until they turn into liquid. Do  not  let the mixture to boil.

Into an electric mixer bowl put the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 

In a meantime preheat the oven to 180C. line muffin tin with paper cases.

When the butter and sugar turn into fluffy mixture add the eggs one at the time beating continuously. When the eggs well incorporated add half of the flour mixture and half of wet ingredients mixture beat until all ingredients combined and repeat with remaining ingredients. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake about 25 minutes. When ready remove form the oven and keep for a while in muffin tin then transfer to wire rack to cool down completely.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 120g soft butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• mixture of 2 tsp instant coffee and 1/2 tsp boiling water and  1 tsp cinnamon

Place the butter into an electric mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla extract and sugar (reduce the mixer speed otherwise your kitchen will be dusted with sugar) and beat until well incorporated. The add the milk and increase the speed to high. 

In a meantime put the instant coffee, cinnamon and boiling water into a small bowl and combine them with a spoon until they turn into a thick mixture. When the butter cream is ready add thick mixture and beat until is well incorporated. 

Put the butter cream on top of each cupcake. Enjoy !