Dulce de leche muffins

This recipe comes from Purple Cookie blog.  It was very easy to make these delicious muffins. I try not to count calories of these muffins, as I have already ate two of them. They  are very soft and spongy with crunch topping. Unfortunately mine turn out flat in comparison to the original. Probably because I used double cream instead of heavy one. And pecans, which should decorate muffins' tops, sank in the batter, luckily it did not change the taste of those divine muffins. And last but not least, I should have bake 15, not 12. When I divided the batter among 12 muffin cases it was too much of it and it leaked during baking. I have to remember all of this as I definitely will make them again. 

Ingredients for 12, or rather 15 muffins:

• 2 large eggs
• 160g sugar
• 250 ml heavy cream (I used double cream)
• 220g flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 200g +12 tsp dulce de leche
• 100g chopped pecans or chocolate chips (I mixed 40g pecans and 60g chocolate chips )

Chop the pecans and set aside. Mix the flour with baking powder and set aside. 

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

With electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar until pale. Add half of the cream and all amount of dulce de leche mix until even in colour. Gently fold in the flour mix. At the end pour the remaining cream. The batter will have thick cream consistency. Spoon the batter evenly to the muffin cases. Sprinkle  each muffin top with pecans and chocolate and add one spoon of dulce de leche. Bake for 25-30 min. Check with toothpick if batter is baked in the middle. Cool them down on wire rack. Enjoy :D

 

Autumn muffins with spelt flour, apples, almonds and cinnamon

I baked muffins with spelt flour, apples, almonds and cinnamon today. It was another Nigella's recipe from her  'Kitchen' cookbook. I called them autumn muffins as combination of apples, almonds and cinnamon always reminds me about fall. When I was taking them out from the oven my house was immediately filled with cinnamon and baked apple fragrance. These muffins are very good both warm and cooled. Author of this recipe claims that they are very good next day too. I have to believe her and leave some till tomorrow. They are are soft, fluffy ... with lovely scent. And the spelt flour is a good excuse for anybody with sweet tooth :).

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 2 eating apples
• 250g spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 125g brown sugar
• 100 ml honey
• 60ml natural yogurt
• 125ml sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 40g natural almonds (I used almond flakes)

For topping:

• 1tsp cinnamon
• 20g natural almonds (I used almond flakes)
• 4 tsp brown sugar

Peel and core the apples, and chop into small dice. If you use natural almonds chop them on smaller pieces. Put them on a side.

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

Put the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl and whisk them together.

In separate bowl put the sugar, honey, yogurt, oil and eggs and whisk them together. 

Add prepared earlier apples and almonds to dry ingredients. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients as well. Combine them together but do not over stir them. Spoon the batter into the paper cases, these muffins do not rise high so you can fill paper cases up to the edge. Sprinkle each muffin with prepared earlier almond, cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake for 20 min. Cool down on a wire rack.

Oat muffins with cornflakes and dried fruits

This recipe comes from 'Kids's cookbook'. Muffins are sweet with crunchy top. They are a little bit crumbly as they have a lot of ingredients inside. I think those who really love dried fruits will enjoy them very much.

Ingredients for 15 muffins:

• 100g porridge oats
• 300 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 125 ml sunflower oil
• 175g brown sugar
• 50g cornflakes
• 150g raisins*
• 95g chopped dried apricots*
• 150g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

* these fruits may be swapped with different dried fruits : cranberry, dates or partly with chocolate chips

Mix the oats and milk and leave them for 15 minutes to soak. Chop the apricots, there are chopped one available in shops.

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

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into bowl and whisk them together.

Beat the egg into oat mixture and whisk. Pour oil into the same mixture and whisk.

Fold in fruits into the flour. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients mixture and combine them. At last fold in the cornflakes. Spoon the batter in to paper cases. Bake for 20-25 min. Check with toothpick if batter is baked in the middle. Leave for a while in baking tin to cool dawn, remove and place on wire rack to cool down completely. 

Healthy muffins with pineapple and carrot

There was half tin of pineapple in my fridge since I baked ham and pineapple muffins. I did not have an idea how to use it till I found this recipe. These muffins are just great. Soft, spongy, moist but not too moist. Just perfect. I do not have to mention that they are another way to offer some vegetables and wholegrain flour to a children. At least my girls ate them with pleasure even though they do not eat all kinds of those muffins which are healthier than usual ones. 

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 100g plain flour
• 80g whole-wheat flour
• 90g brown sugar
• 2 tbsp wheat germ
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 80 ml sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 medium or 170g tiny grated carrots
• 4 slices or 125g chopped canned pineapple

Wash, peel of and grate carrot. Drain pineapple and chop into small pieces.

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

Sift in the one bowl the flours, sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, salt and whisk together.

Pour oil in a measuring jug, add eggs and vanilla and whisk them with a fork. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Combine everything together. Fold in carrots and pineapple. With a spoon put evenly batter into muffin cases. Bake for 30 min. Check with toothpick if  baked  in the middle. Place on wire rack to cool down.

Irish soda bread muffins

I have received this recipe from my friend Martine. I had it for a while before I tried to make soda bread muffins. Irish soda bread is made from nothing more than: flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Fancier version include some sugar, butter for flavour and tenderness and sometimes raisins. These muffins taste like scones for me, I like them very much and they are very satiate, it is hard to eat more that one :). They are perfect for breakfast or brunch, spread with butter and jam.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 300g plain flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1  tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 65g melted butter
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 300ml buttermilk
• handful of raisins

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

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into big bowl and whisk them together.

Melt the butter and stir in the sugar. With a fork whisk together buttermilk and egg. Pour this two mixtures into dry ingredients, combine all ingredients together. At last fold in the raisins. Spoon into muffin cases. Bake for 30 min. Cool down on wire rack.

Enjoy !

Chocolate chip mini muffins

It was raining all day yesterday. The rain was so heavy that it was hard to leave the house. I had to keep my almost 5 year old occupied. So I reached for, I think classic, Nigella's chocolate chip muffin recipe from this web site.  Those muffins are extremely easy to make and their flavour is divine.  I had to reduce the amount of ingredients I used, in half. First of all I did not have enough chocolate chips in a cupboard and secondly we really should not eat so much muffins ;). I baked them in mini muffin tin and instead 6 big ones I had 18 mini muffins. I do not have to mention that there are no leftovers.

Ingredients for 18 mini muffins:

• 140g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 80g caster sugar
• 100g chocolate chips
• 150 ml milk
• 60 ml sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease mini muffin tin.

In a big bowl sift the flour, baking powder, soda, cocoa, sugar and chocolate chips mix them together.

In a measuring jug pour the milk, oil and egg. With fork whisk them together, add vanilla. Pout this mixture into already prepared dry ingredients mixture. Combine all ingredients. Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Bake 15-20 min. Check with toothpick if batter is baked in the middle. Place on wire rack to cool down.

Enjoy !

Ham, pineapple and tomato muffins

It is high time to bake savoury muffins. A few days ago I found on this web site interesting recipe. I gathered all ingredients and result you can see on pictures. Almost forget to mention that I changed original recipe a little.

Ingredients for 9 muffins:

• 60g wholegrain flour
• 95g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 big tomato 
• 110g can pineapple pieces in natural juice, drained
• 40g ham, chopped
• 70g cheese, grated
• 1 egg
• 100ml milk
• 60ml olive oil*

*olive oil has very strong flavour, for me it was too strong for this type of muffins. In my opinion olive oil taste better in  sun dried tomato muffins. Next time I will be making those I will swap olive oil with sunflower oil for sure.

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease muffin tin holes.

Sift the flours, sugar, baking powder in one bowl. Wash tomato, remove seeds and chop, put into dry ingredients mixture. Chop the pineapple and add to the mixture. Dice ham and add to the mixture. At last add grated cheese. Combine all ingredients.

In measuring jug with a fork mix together the egg, milk and olive oil. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients. Spoon the batter into muffin tin holes. Bake for 20-25 min. Cool muffins down on wire rack.

Enjoy !

Strawberry muffins with cream cheese

Another recipe for strawberry muffins. As I mentioned earlier strawberries are my favourite fruits and they are available everywhere at this time of year. When I sow new recipe on this web site  I had to give it a try. Muffins are soft, almost fluffy and cream cheese topping give them a welcome moisture. In comparison to the other one I baked some time ago it is easier to take them out of muffin cases.

Ingredients for 6 big muffins: (my muffin cases are slightly smaller so I had 10 muffins)

• 150g flour
• 40g caster sugar
• 1and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 60g melted butter
• 125 ml milk
• about 90g diced strawberries
• 70g strawberry jam

Cream cheese topping:

• 90g soft cheese (I used Philadelphia)
• 2 tbsp sugar

Prepare cream cheese topping. Put soft cheese and sugar into a bowl and with fork mash them together. Set aside. Dice the strawberries.

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

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl and whisk together.

In separate bowl whisk egg, add milk and cooled down butter, whisk again. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients, combine everything. Do not over stir. At last gently fold in jam and strawberries. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases, almost to the top edge of paper cases. With a small spoon place small amount of cream cheese mixture on the top of each muffin. Bake for 20 min. Check with toothpick if baked inside. Cool down on wire rack. 

 

Oat muffins with sour cherries covered with chocolate

This time I baked oat muffins, slightly changing recipe from this website. I called them oat muffins as they contain porridge oats. Those muffins were moisture, sweet and sour at the same time. 

Ingredients for 15 muffins:

• 200g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 60g porridge oats
• 150g powder/icing sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 220g drained pitted sour cherries + few for decoration
• 2 egg whites
• 200g buttermilk
• 150g melted butter

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

In a big bowl put dry ingredients : the flour, baking powder, porridge oats, sugar, cinnamon and combine them together.

Melt the butter, add buttermilk, egg whites, vanilla and whisk them together. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients. Fold in the cherries. Spoon into paper cases 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 min. Check with tooth pick if batter is baked in the middle. Cool them down on wire rack.

For a chocolate cover:

• 50 ml milk.
• 50 ml cream
• 100g dark chocolate

Put cream and milk into sause pan and bring it to boil. Add chopped chocolate and stir as long as all chocolate melts down. You will receive thick, chocolaty cream called ganache. With a spoon pour gently ganache over the top of each muffin and place the cherry in the middle.

Enjoy !

Spicy banana and wheat bran mini muffins

These muffin's are originally called Peter's favourites muffins. I found the recipe on this website. Peter, author's nephew loved them since he was a small boy. I decided to try if my girls would like them too. This time my muffins are mini size which help my youngest to hold one in her palms. I know, I know... that these are sweets again, but at least there is some fibre in them. Muffins are very tasty, fluffy and sweet.

Ingredients for 18 mini muffins:

• 90g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 45g brown sugar
• 20g wheat bran *
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 60 ml warmed milk
• 25g butter
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 egg

* originally it should be bran flakes, but I ate them for breakfast so replaced them with wheat bran. I think it did not change the flavour only texture of these muffins was slightly different 

Heat up the oven to 200C. Spray mini muffin tin with baking spray or grease muffin holes.

The flour, baking powder, salt, spices, sugar, wheat bran place in a big bowl and combine all together.

Wit a fork mash the banana, set aside. Beat the egg, set aside. Warm up the milk in microwave and add the soda, set aside. Melt the butter and golden syrup together. Pour wet ingredients into mixture of dry one, combine them. Fold in the banana and egg.

Spoon the batter into muffin tin holes. Bake for 10-12 min. Cool down on wire rack.

Little tester

Rubber duck cupcakes

My youngest daughter birthday was coming. As she loves to play with her rubber ducks during bath time, I was thinking about rubber duck cake for her birthday, till I sow ' What's New, Cupcake ?' book. At first I thought rubber duck cupcakes are far to complicated to me, but when I found this movie on line I have decided to try. 

 

My ducks do not look as pretty as the one in the movie but some products where not available for me so I had to replace them.

I have started with baking lemon cupcakes from Rachel Allen 'Bake' recipe.

Ingredients for 12 medium sized cupcakes and 10 mini cupcakes:

• 125g soft butter
• 125g caster sugarr
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 eggs
• 150g flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Butter cream:

• 100g soft butter
• about 200g icing sugar
• yellow food colouring in liquid

Additional:

• for beaks and feet - soft candy, orange coloured
• eyes - chocolate chips
• duck tails  - marshmallows
• edible glue
• toothpicks

First I baked cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with yellow paper cases. Grease mini muffin tin. I had to bake mini muffins as I could not find mini doughnuts in any shop. The authors of this recipe used mini doughnut as duck's head.

In electric mixer cream the butter until soft add the sugar and lemon extract beating continuously until light and fluffy. Add the eggs beat for a while. At the end gently fold in the flour and baking powder. Spoon the batter into muffin cases 3/4 full, so they rise up to the height of paper cases. Bake for 15-20 min. Check with a toothpick if baked in the middle. The rest of the batter spoon into mini muffin tin 3/4 full as well. You should receive 10 mini cupcakes. Bake 10-15 min. Cool them down on wire rack.

In the meantime prepare butter cream. Again in electric mixer cream the butter until soft and fluffy gradually adding icing sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add food colouring, mine was liquid so I used 4 tsp. If you use paste then add 1 tbsp of milk or lemon juice to cream.  

At this stage all parts of ducks are ready. They only need to be put together.

Rubber duck cupcake step by step:

1. Take one cupcake and mini cupcake
2. With a knife shape the mini cupcake to receive nice head
3. Cut a marshmallow in diagonal
4. Using edible glue stick head and tail to cupcake (see above). Put on a side
5. Take half of a soft candy cut in half, with your fingers create a beak
6. With toothpick attach the beak to duck's head
7. With knife cover duck with butter cream, try to make it look like a feathers
8. Attach chocolate chips on the sides of duck's head as eyes

Diving rubber duck step by step:
As I had only 10 heads for 12 ducks two of them are diving under water.

1. Cut a marshmallow in diagonal and with edible glue attach to cupcakes
2. Cut a soft candy in a half and use each to make a duck foot.
3. Cover duck with buttercream 
4. Place two feet on the sides of tail.

I have to admit it was hard work. But my birthday girl was very happy. She ate her duckling immediately.

BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT TOOTHPICKS IN DUCKS. When you serve duck to a child remove the beak, throw away toothpick, and place the beak on the side of duck.

Spinach and feta cheese muffins

Spinach and feta cheese muffins :) I like them :). Unfortunately I was the only one in my family :(. I don't know why. For me they look beautiful and taste nice, especially salty feta gives them nice flavour and spinach green leaves make them look so beautiful :). This recipe comes from 'New Italian cuisine. Muffins'.

Ingredients for 12 :

• 225g fresh or frozen spinach
• 350g flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs
• 60 ml canola oil
• 250 ml natural yogurt
• 200g diced feta cheese

Cook the spinach in slightly salted water for 5 min. Drain the water, press the spinach with spoon to remove excess water. 

Dice feta cheese.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease muffin tin.

In one bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt. In separate bowl with fork whisk together  the yogurt, oil and eggs. Pour this mixture into flour. Stir gently to combine ingredients. Fold in the spinach and feta cheese. Spoon into baking tin. Bake for 20 min. Check with toothpick if ready. Let them cool down a little bit in baking tin, then transfer to wire rack.

Enjoy ! :)

Strawberry muffins with almond crumble

Strawberries are the best at this time of year, sweet and juicy ! They are my favourites fruits I love them for breakfast, with natural yoghurt and bran flakes, and they are perfect for a dessert. That is why I wanted to put them into muffins too. I found interesting recipe on this web site. 

I liked this recipe in particular as the muffins have almond topping. I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed when the muffins were ready. The strawberries just melt down in the cake and it was difficult to take the muffins out of the paper cases when they were freshly baked. Although they were tasty. 

Ingredients for 10 muffins:

• 150g flour
• 60g muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 50 ml canola oil
• 150 ml milk
• 150g diced strawberries

For crumble topping:

• 50g ground almonds
• 10g butter
• 2 tbsp sugar

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

In a small bowl put the almonds, butter and sugar. Mix this ingredients with your fingers till you receive crumbly texture.

Dice the strawberries.

In a big bowl sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt mix them together. In separate bowl put the oil, milk and egg and whisk them. Pour wet ingredients mixture into dry one. Combine together all ingredients. Gently fold in the strawberries. Spoon the batter into paper cases. Sprinkle each muffin top with almond mixture prepared earlier. Bake for 25 min. Cool them down on wire rack. If you can resist, keep them till next day as they taste better on the next day.