Coffee and pecan muffins

Those muffins were soft but not fluffy, with gentle coffee flavor and crunchy, sweet pecans hidden inside. Decorated with delicious coffee cream on the top and another crunchy nut.  I think they belong to top ten favourite muffins/cupcake on this blog. What make those muffins especially delicious are the nuts which are dipped in toffee before added to the batter. 

The recipe comes from 'The Australian Women's Weekly. Muffins".

To make those muffins start with toffee nuts.

Ingredients for toffee nuts:

• 125g pecans
• 115g caster sugar
• 60 ml water  

Reserve 12 whole nuts. Chop remaining nuts finely.

Prepare silicone mat. Set aside.

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan. Stir the ingredients over a heat without boiling until sugar dissolves. Then simmer uncovered, without stirring, until toffee is golden brown (about 10 minutes). Dip whole nuts into a hot toffee and place them one by one on silicone mat. Then stir in the chopped nuts into a toffee, spread the mixture over the silicone mat. When set reserve the whole nuts and chop the remaining ones finely. Set aside.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 215g caster sugar
• 375g flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 90g butter
• 310ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp instant coffee

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

Sift the flour, soda, baking powder into a bog bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles semolina. Stir in the sugar and chopped nuts.

In separate jug combine buttermilk, whisked egg and instant coffee. Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones.  Stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter into baking cases about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

When muffins are in the oven it is time to prepare the coffee cream.

Ingredients for coffee cream:

• 185g cream cheese
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp boiling water 

Put instant coffee in a small cup pour over the boiling water.

Place the cheese and sugar in a bowl, with electric mixer beat them together until sugar dissolves. Then add the coffee and whisk until smooth. 

When muffins are completely dry spoon the coffee cream on top of each one then put one whole nut to decorate. Enjoy !