Coconut cappucino muffins

When I found this recipe on Sprinkle Bakes blog I had to try to bake those muffins. I just thought they must have been delicious and believe me they were.  Coffee cake with chocolate chips, filled with creamy cheese and sprinkled with coconut streusel... what else to add. And they are not difficult to make, although I modified the recipe slightly.

 

First step to prepare those muffins would be coconut streusel.

Ingredients for coconut streusel:

• 60g flour
• 80g sugar
• 40g desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Place dry ingredients into a medium size bowl and combine them. Put the 125g butter ( you will need it later for muffin batter) into a sauce pan or a bowl and melt the butter on a heat or in microwave. Pour two tablespoons of melted butter into dry ingredients, set aside the remaining butter. Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

Ingredients for 12-18 muffin:

• 280g flour
• 150g sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250 ml milk
• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 125g melted butter
• 1 egg
• 100g chocolate chips

 In a big bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 

Pour the milk into measuring jug add instant coffee and whisk until dissolves then add the egg and whisk well. 

Pour the wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ones, add melted butter and whisk until just combined. At last, but not at least, gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Set aside.

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

Prepare the cheese filling.

Ingredients for cheese filling:

• 200g cream cheese
• 100g mascarpone
• 140g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese, mascarpone  and sugar  into an electric mixer bowl and beat well. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy.

Put in front of you prepared earlier muffin tin with paper cases, the muffin batter, the cream cheese filling and the coconut streusel. Put one table spoon of batter into each paper case, then put one heaped teaspoon of cream cheese filling and cover with muffin batter. Don not over load the muffin cases, 3/4 full is enough as the batter while baked rises and spreads on the sides. When all the muffin cases are full sprinkle the batter with coconut streusell. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When well risen and golden remove from the oven, leave for a few minutes into baking tin then transfer to the wire rack to cool down. Enjoy !

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 !

 

Pumpkin muffins with toffee sauce

Those muffins were loved by children. I was really surprised as for me they were just average. They tasted like pancakes, were soft and very moist a little bit sweet and spicy. But children ate them quite a lot. The recipe comes form 'Easy muffins' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12-16 muffins:

• 280g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 50g brown sugar
• 65g white sugar
• 1 egg
• 200ml milk
• 6 tbsp flavourless oil (I had grape seed oil)
• 425g pumpkin pure (I added 525g of homemade pumpkin pure)
• few spoons of toffee sauce from a jar 

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

Sift the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, salt  into a bog bowl. Add the sugars and whisk well.

In a measuring jug whisk egg, add oil and milk and combine them all. 

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones, add pumpkin pure and combine all ingredients together. Do not over mix the mixture. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Leave the muffins in a tin for 5 minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool them down. While the muffins are cooling spread toffee sauce over the top of each. Enjoy !

Pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins

Very moist, sweet, chocolate rich muffins. The recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 12-16 muffins:

• 195g flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 113g butter
• 200g white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 180 ml pumpkin pure *
• 175g chocolate chip 

* to make home made pumpkin pure check here

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

Place the butter and  sugar in an electric mixer bowl and cream them until white and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, soda and spices. Add half of the flour mixture and half of pumpkin pure into a batter in an electric mixer bowl. Whisk all ingredients together until well incorporated.  Then add the rest of the flour and pumpkin and combine all ingredients. At last, but not at least, gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier muffin cases, about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes, check with tooth pick if baked in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave in baking tin for  a few minutes, then transfer to the wire rack to cool them down. Enjoy !