Pear, walnuts and ginger muffins

Those muffins were delicious ! The cake itself was fluffy, light for me perfect. I think I will try to bake this cake again but this time plain. The ginger, per and nuts were lovely combination. Those muffins were packed with them. Although next time I would rather skip the ginger, it was little bit too spicy for me. Anyway you may expect to see this recipe again as I think this cake would be perfect with other fruits, nuts or chocolates. 

Ingredients for 12 - 14 standard size or     6 - 7 big muffins:

• 2 big pears
• 60g ginger from a jar*
• 250 g flour
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 75g walnuts
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 100g sugar
• 100g butter or margarine
• 250 ml milk
• 100g white chocolate
• walnut halves for decoration

* I used ginger in vinegar, but it can be replaced with crystallized ginger  or ground ginger.

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

Peel the pears, remove cores. Chop the pears into small chunks.

Drain the ginger and chop into small chunks. Or if u use crystallized ginger just chop it. Add to the pears, stir and set aside.

Chop the walnuts and set aside. 

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder. Stir in the walnuts.If you use the ground ginger add it to the flour mixture.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add alternately the flour mixture, milk and soft margarine. When all ingredients added and batter is smooth stop the mixer. Then gently fold in the ginger and pear mixture. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier paper cases. Bake in preheated oven for  20 - 30 minutes until well risen. Remove form the tin to cool down. 

 While muffins cooling down melt the chocolate. Spread the melted chocolate over each muffin top and place half of walnut as a decoration.

Enjoy !

The recipe in Polish. 

Fig nugget muffins

In my opinion they are the tastiest healthy muffins I have ever baked. They were soft, moist with lovely orange scent, packed with dry fruits and nuts. The recipe comes form EatingWell website.

Ingredients for fig filling:

• 150g dry figs
• 2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp honey

Grate the orange zest and seat aside you will need it for the batter. Squeeze the orange juice and set aside.

Put the figs into blender, add the nuts and blend them until smooth. Then add the cinnamon, orange juice and honey and blend again. Set aside.

Ingredients for muffin batter:

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 190g brown sugar
• 250ml low - fat yogurt
• 150ml canola oil
• orange zest
• 75ml orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60g oat or wheat bran
• 115g wholegrain flour
• 115g plain flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (walnuts or hazelnuts) to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases. 

Put the egg, egg white and sugar into a bowl and beat until smooth. Then add the yogurt, oil, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla and stir well. At last but not at least add the wheat bran. Set aside.

In separate bowl whisk the flours, baking powder, soda and salt. Whisk them well and add into a bowl with wet ingredients. Stir until just moist. Spoon one tablespoon of batter into paper cases the place one teaspoon of fig paste and cover with batter. Do not overload the muffin cases. Fill up to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until well risen.

 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.

Carrot cake muffins

Carrot cake muffins were moist, sweet, aromatic, packed with nuts, raisins and of course carrots. Topped with mascarpone cheese frosting and decorated with walnut looked looked very elegant. The recipe comes from 'Easy muffins' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 280g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 115g brown sugar
• 200g grated carrot (about 2 medium size carrots)
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 50 raisins
• 2 eggs
• 175ml milk
• 6 tbsp flavourless oil like grape seed oil, sunflower oil
• 1 orange juice (about 50 ml)

Peel of the carrots and grate them. Set aside. Chop the walnuts and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt into a big bowl. Add the sugar and whisk well. Then stir in the carrots well. Gently stir in the walnuts and raisins.

In separate jug whisk the eggs add the milk, oil, orange juice and whisk well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes. After that time poke the muffins with with toothpick if it comes out clean it means that cake is bake din the middle. Transfer the muffins into wire rack and leave them to cool down.

In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 140g mascarpone cheese
• 35g icing sugar

Put the icing sugar and cheese into a small bowl and whisk the with a fork. Be gentle as sugar may dust all around. Whisk until light and fluffy.

When the muffins are cooled place a spoon of frosting on each muffin top and spread. Decorate with the walnuts. Enjoy !

 

Yogurt muffins with Californian prunes and walnuts

Tasty, chewy, filled with prune and walnut chunks muffins that is the best description of the muffins I baked lately. The recipe comes from 'New Italian Cuisine. Muffins'.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 150g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
•  1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 125g natural yogurt
• 50g dark Muscovado sugar
• 45 ml grape seed oil
• 60g walnuts
• 150g pitted prunes

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

Chop the walnuts and set aside. Chop the prunes into smaller chunks and set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt. Set aside.

Into a separate bowl break the egg, add the yogurt, sugar and oil. With an electric mixer beat all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Then add the dry ingredients mixture, chopped  walnuts and prunes and combine them together with a spoon. Do not over mix the batter.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, bake for 30 minutes. When ready transfer to the wire rack and cool them down. Enjoy !

Muffins filled with walnuts and cinnamon

Moist, soft cake filled in with cinnamon and walnuts paste that is the shortest description of those delightful muffins. Perfect tea time treat. The recipe comes from 'Muffins sampler' by Jan Siegrist.

Ingredients for  walnut paste:

• 100g brown sugar
• 80g chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter

Chop the walnuts. Put them in a small bowl. Then add the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix all ingredients together. 

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over the medium heat. Pour the butter into a bowl with dry ingredients and stir them all together. Set the mixture aside.

Ingredients for 12-14 muffins:

• 200g flour
• 200g sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 90g butter
• 1 egg
• 200 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

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

In a bowl put flour, sugar, baking powder and butter. Mix it with your fingers until crumbly. In a measuring jug whisk the egg, add milk and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into a dry ones. Stir until just moist.
Spoon the batter into muffin cups about 1/3 full. Then add about 2 teaspoons of walnut mixture to each cup. Top with remaining batter to fill each cup 2/3 full. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the batter in each cup.
Bake for 20 minutes. When ready keep in the muffin tin for a few minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool down. Enjoy !

Banana muffins with chocolate and walnuts

This is another recipe for banana muffins which appears on my blog. This time the muffins are filled with chocolate and nuts. They are very tasty, soft and moisture. The recipe comes form 'New Italian Cuisine. Muffins.'

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 150g wholegrain flour
• 150g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• pinch of slat
• 125g butter
• 200g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 big ripe bananas
• 60 ml milk
• 180g dark chocolate
• 100g walnuts (I used 50g walnuts and 50 g pecans)

Chop the nuts into smaller chunks and set aside.

Grate the chocolate into fine shavings. Set aside.

Mash the bananas with fork and set aside.

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

Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, soda into a big bowl, whisk them together and set aside.

In a separate bowl put soft butter and sugar. With an electric mixer beat them together until smooth. Add one egg at the time, wait until each egg is well incorporated. Reduce mixer speed, add bananas, milk and flour mixture. When all ingredients are well combined gently fold in the chocolate and nuts. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and spongy in touch. 

Cool them down on the wire rack and enjoy :)

Bran muffins with bananas, raisins, walnuts and black treacle

This is another recipe for banana and bran muffins on my blog. I wanted to try this one as well because those muffins are packed with goodies and sound very healthy at the same time. The recipe comes from Ina Garten colection. 

Ingredients for 12 -18 muffins:

• 40g wheat bran
• 225ml buttermilk
• 55g soft butter
• 60g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 210g flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120g raisins
• 2 bananas
• 50g walnuts

Combine buttermilk and wheat bran and set aside.

Dice the bananas, chop the walnuts and set aside.

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

In an electric mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed and add one egg at the time. After the eggs add the black treacle, orange zest, vanilla and bran/buttermilk mixture. Combine all ingredients.

In separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Gently fold in the flour mixture into wet ingredients mixture. Do not over mix it. Fold in the bananas, walnuts and raisins with rubber spatula.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, fill them to the top and bake for 25 minutes.

Enjoy !

Orange muffins with dates and walnuts

This recipe comes from joy of baking website. They were very easy to make and their taste was delicious. Those muffins were soft, spongy, with beautiful orange scent, sweet with dates and crunchy with walnuts. I think they are worth trying.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 130g flour
• 130g whole wheat flour
• 140g brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bircarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 80 ml orange juice ( I used freshly squized orange juice from 2 oranges)
• 160 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 57 g melted butter
• 90g chopped dates
• 60g chopped walnuts

Wash the orange and grate the zest. Set aside. Squizze orange juice, set aside. Melt the butter and set aside.
Chopp the walnuts and dates and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and whisk them together. Set aside.

In a measuring jug whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, egg, vanilla and melted butter.

Pour this mixture into dry ingredients, add the walnuts and dates. Mix all ingredients together just to combine them all. Do not over stir the batter.
Spoon the batter into baking cases. Bake for 20 min. Transfer to the wire rack to cool them down. Enjoy !

Wholewheat honey muffins with walnuts

I wanted to bake something for breakfast. Muffins which can be eaten as bread rolls, sliced, spread with butter, jam or honey. Some kind of healthy muffins or at least healthier than usual sweet muffins. When I found this recipe I decided to try it immediately. They were tasty a little bit dry but not too dry, perfect with cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients for 8 muffins:

• 225g whole-wheat or wholegrain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 175 ml milk
• 75 ml honey
• 50 ml sunflower oil
• 50g chopped walnuts + 8 halves 

Chop the walnuts an set aside.

Preheat oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt into big bowl. Whisk all ingredients together and make well in the middle.

In separate bowl whisk the egg, pour milk, honey, oil and whisk them together. Add  walnuts. Pour the wet ingredients mixture into bowl with dry ingredients. Stir them together. Do not over stir. Spoon the batter into muffin cases, place walnuts on top of each muffin. Bake for 20min. Enjoy :)

Apricot, walnut and white chocolate muffins

These muffins are great, filled with fresh apricots, walnuts and white chocolate, moisture and very sweet. I made them for my guests and they liked them very much. Recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 12 :

• 200g flour
• 60g cane sugar
• 75g sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 160 ml milk
• 120 ml melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• 150g diced fresh apricots
• 170g chopped white chocolate
• 90g chopped walnuts

Wash and dice the apricots, chop the chocolate and walnuts, set aside.

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

Sift the flour, sugars, vanilla sugar, baking powder  into big bowl and combine together. Melt and cooled down the butter. Pour the milk, butter add the eggs into dry ingredients mixture. Whisk everything together. Gently fold in the apricots, walnuts and chocolate. Spoon  the batter into paper cases, bake for 30 min. Cool down on wire rack and enjoy :)

Energy muffins

The energy muffins recipe comes from this website . When I read list of ingredients I got very curious about those muffins' flavour. They are called energy, so I think would be good option for breakfast in hurry. They are moisture, rich and not too sweet. In my opinion  they are worth to try.

Ingredients for 16 muffins:

• 140g brown sugar
• 150g flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g raisins
• 200g grated carrot
• 130g grated apple
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 60g chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 125 ml canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

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

Grate the carrot and apple. Chop the walnuts. Set aside.

In one bowl sift the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder. Whisk everything together. Add the carrot, raisins, apple, coconut and walnuts. Combine all ingredients together.

In separate bowl pour the oil, vanilla extract and eggs, whisk them with fork. Pour wet ingredients mixture into dry mixture. Combine all ingredients. Do not over stir them. Spoon batter into paper cases. Bake for 25 min. Cool the muffins down on wire rack. Enjoy !!

Courgette muffins with lemon cream cheese

This is another recipe from 'New Italian cuisine. Muffins'. Combination of courgette and lemon cream cheese  sounded very interesting for me, so I decided to try them. Muffins were nice, moisture and mild. Cream cheese on top gave them sugary kick. 

Ingredients for 10 muffins:

• 150g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 50g brown sugar
• 1 lemon zest
• 40g chopped walnuts
• 1 egg
• 45 ml sunflower oil
• 30 ml lemon juice
• 30 ml milk
• 100g grated courgette

Heat up the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with muffin cases.

Grate courgette and set it aside. 

Into a big bowl grate the lemon zest (only yellow part) add the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Combine all ingredients. Stir in the sugar and walnuts. In separate bowl whisk the egg with oil, lemon juice and milk until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Combine everything together and at the end fold in grated courgette. Spoon the batter into muffin cases. Bake for 20 min.

After baking

In the meantime prepare cream cheese.

Ingredients:

• 45 g cream cheese
• 75g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Whisk cream cheese with half icing sugar until soft and creamy. Add remaining sugar and lemon juice and whisk for a while longer. Spread this mixture on top of each cooled muffin. 

Banana - walnut muffins

I have tried another recipe from joyofbaking    recently, only I have changed it a little bit. I baked classic banana muffin but swap part of white flour with wholegrain one and I did not add any butter. Muffins were very sweet and soft even day after.

Ingredients:

• 115g walnuts
• 100g wholegrain flour
• 130g plain flour 
• 150g sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1/4 salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 eggs beaten
• 3 mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with muffin wrappers, leave one hole empty and fill in half with water.

Chop the walnuts into smaller pieces, place them on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10 min in 180C.

Dry ingredients: the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon mix in one bowl. Later add the nuts.

In second bowl mash the bananas, add ginger, vanilla extract and beaten eggs.

Pour mixture of the wet ingredients into dry one. Stir them together but do not over stir it. Batter is thick and chunky. Spoon batter into muffin wrappers and bake for 20 min.

 

Bon appetite !