Kitchen sink muffins

There is good few variations about kitchen sink muffins. This time I have tested Anna Olson recipe. They were delicious I truly recommend them.

Ingredients for 12 -14 muffins:

• 150g sugar
• 125 ml oil
• 2 eggs
• 165g grated apple
• 100g grated carrot
• 100g chopped pineapple
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 160g wholemeal flour (I used spelt flour)
• 60g porridge oats + some to sprinkle
• 2 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 70g raisins
• 65g sunflower seeds
• 40g dessicated coconut

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

The flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, raisins, sunflower seeds and coconut place in  a bowl, mix well and set aside. 

In a separate bowl mix the sugar, eggs and oil. Stir well. Grate the apple, carrot and add them into the wet ingredients mixture. Then chop the pineapple and stir into the mixture. Then add freshly gated lemon zest (only yellow part) and juice. mix all ingredients. 

Add dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into paper cases about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with porridge oats. 

Bake for  about 30 minutes.

  Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Apple muffins with Karmi beer

Karmi beer is an non alcoholic caramel beer, dark sweet rich in flavour. This time instead of drinking it I used it to bake muffins.  Have to say it was good experiment. Moist, dark, sweet muffins wit chunks of apples had an interesting taste.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 3 medium size apples
• 20g butter
• 1 stick or 1 tsp cinnamon
•  3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp oats
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of wholegrain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2  tsp soda
• 2 eggs
• 10 ml canola oil
• 400 ml Karmi beer

Slice the apples. Heat up the frying pan. Add the butter, sugar, cinnamon. Then add the apples and stir from time to time. When apples soften add the oats. Set aside to pan and let the ingredients to cool down.

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

In one bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda. In separate bowl whisk the eggs with oil. Pour the wet ingredients into a dry ones add the Karmi beer and stir until just combined. The fold in the cooked apples (remove cinnamon stick).

Spoon the batter into paper cases, sprinkle with sugar and oats. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

 Enjoy!

Recipe in Polish

  

Hot cross buns cupcakes

Moist, aromatic, packed with raisins. Almost as good as original hot cross buns. The recipe comes form BBC GoodFood

Ingredients for 12 -14 cupcakes:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 100ml milk
• 175g butter
• 175g self-rising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 175g brown sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 100g ground almonds
• 3 eggs
• orange zest
• 100g raisins
• 1 medium apple

 Combine the lemon juice and milk and sit aside for 5 minutes. Peel and then great the apple. Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin with paper cases or slightly grease and dust with flour each muffin cup. 

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, spice, almond and pinch of salt into a large bowl. Mix all ingredients together. 

Zest orange and add the zest to thickened milk. Then add the eggs and melted butter. Mix well and pour into dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients together until even. Fold in the raisins and grated apple. 

Spoon the batter into muffin tin, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until well risen and golden. When beaked remove form oven leave the muffins for a few minutes in a tin then remove and transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

While the muffins are cooling down prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

• 1 tbsp apricot jam and splash of hot water
• 50 g full fat cream cheese
• 50g icing sugar
• 25g soft butter
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice

 Put the cream cheese, sugar, butter and spice in a bowl and mix with a spoon until smooth. Transfer to the icing syringe.

Put the jam and hot water in a small bowl and whisk them together. Brush each cold muffin with jam mixture. Then with the syringe pipe the frosting into the crosses. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

 

Apple crumble

 This is the easiest home made dessert. Just bake together the stewed apples with some crumble on top, serve with cream, creme fraiche and you have beautiful treat. I made mine in individual ramekins as I think it looks pretty but you can easily bake it in big heat proof dish. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Prepare 4 ramekins.

Ingredients for 4 portions of apple crumble. 

Fruits:

• 25g butter
• 450g cooking apples
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 50g frozen blueberries ( optional)

Peel off, core and chop apples. Heat up the butter on frying pan. When is melted and hot add the apples, cinnamon and sugar. Stir well while cooking. Stop when apples become soft. Remove pan from the heat. If you would like to add blueberries stir them in now. 

Crumble:

• 50g porridge oats
• 40g butter
• 50g flour
• 30g brown sugar + some to sprinkle

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix them with your fingers until resemble bread crumbs. Set aside.

 

Divide the fruits among all ramekins, then cover with crumble, sprinkle with small amount of sugar on top this will give crumble the extra crunch. If you want to serve the crumble immediately put the ramekins into an oven for 25 - 30 minutes. For later just keep in the fridge.

Serve warm apple crumble with some ice cream, cream or creme fraiche.

 Enjoy!

Recipe in Polish

Oatmeal muffins with apple, banana, cranberries, cashews and pinch of cinnamon

This is perfect meal to go. If you like a warm, dense, rich in goodness porridge for a breakfast and you don't have a time to prepare one for yourself this is perfect solution. Those muffins are dense, chewy, moist .... just delicious. Oatmeal muffins are made with wholegrain flour and porridge oats packed with fruits, nuts .. everything your body need in the morning The recipe comes from Eat Good 4 Life.  

Ingredients for 12 - 14 muffins:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 60 ml canola oil
• 75 ml milk
• 165g sugar
• 2 apples
• 130g wholegrain flour
• 170g oats
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 45g cashews (used those one instead of walnuts)
• 45g dried cranberries
• pinch of cinnamon

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

Peel  the apples remove cores. Cut the apples into a small chunks and set aside. Chop the nuts into smaller chunks and set aside.

Place peeled  bananas in a bowl and mash them. Add the egg, canola oil, milk and mix them together.

In separate bowl put sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and mix them. Pour in the mixture of wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Then fold in the apples, nuts and cranberries. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier muffin tin paper cups about 3/4 full. Bake them in preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.   

For recipe in Polish please have a look here.

Enjoy !

Blackberry streusel muffins

Tasty, not too sweet, spongy cake filled with zesty fruits, sprinkled with aromatic streusel topping.  Very delicious mixture of flavours, perfect addition to cup of tea. The recipe comes from 'The Australian Women's Weekly. Muffins'.

 

 Ingredients for 12 standard or 6 extra large muffins:

• 300g self-rising flour (or 300g plain flour + 1 tsp baking powder)
• 170g frozen blackberries
• 1 medium size apple
• 150g brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 80 ml canola oil
• 80 ml buttermilk

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

Peel of the apple and great the apple coarsely. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a big bowl add the sugar and whisk. Then stir in the apple chunks and frozen blackberries. 

In separate jug whisk the eggs, then add the canola oil and buttermilk and whisk again.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and combine them all until just moist.

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier muffin tin and set aside. Prepare the streusel topping.

Ingredients for the streusel topping:

• 50g flour
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp all spice or cinnamon
• 30g butter

 Place all the ingredients into a small bowl and rub between your fingers. When crumbly sprinkle it over each muffin top.

Bake the muffin about 20 minutes until well risen and golden.

Remove form oven and let them cool for a good few minutes. They are very tasty when worm but the fruits inside are very hot just after baking.

Enjoy !

Sugar-top apple and raisins muffins

Those filled with apples, raisins and spices muffins are extremely good. They have a lovely crunchy and sweet top, inside they are moist and aromatic. For me they are the perfect muffins. They do not look spectacular but their taste is divine. Good with freshly brewed tea :) The recipe come from 'Muffin sampler' by  Jan Siegris.

Ingredients for 12-14 muffins:

• 100g raisins
• 125ml water
• 180g flour
• 150g wholewheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 130g sugar
• 60ml grape seed oil
• 160g applesauce
• 160g baked apples
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put the raisins into a small bowl pour over the water. Soak the raisins in the water for at least 15 minutes. 

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

In  a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, soda and freshly grated nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the egg and sugar until fluffy.  Stir in the oil, applesauce and baked apples. Add this mixture into the dry ingredients mixture until just moist. At last gently fold in the raisins with their water. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 2/3 full. 

In a small bowl combine remaining sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in each cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave in the baking tin for a few minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool. Enjoy !

Apple muffins with raisins and ricotta cheese

Moist, chewy with crunchy crust, filled with chunks of apples and raisins that I think would be the best description of those muffins. The cake is very like pancake batter. If you like pancakes you will like them. This time I baked my muffins in extra large muffin cases. They look huge but we ate them all.

Ingredients for 6 big or 12 standard size muffins:

• 4 small apples
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 250g flour
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 100g raisins
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 150 ml milk
• 100g sugar
• 125g melted butter
• 2 eggs
• icing sugar for dusting

Peel off the apples, remove seeds. Dice the apples, place them in a small bowl add the lemon juice and set aside.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

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

In a big bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt add the raisins.

Into electric  mixer bowl put the ricotta, milk, sugar, cooled butter and eggs. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beating continuously add spoon by spoon dry ingredients. When all ingredients are incorporated gently fold in diced apples.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases, 3/4 full. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When ready remove form oven and cool down on wire rack. You may dust with icing sugar but for me they were sweet enough.

Enjoy !

Apple and rhubarb muffins

Another easy to make muffin recipe. Those muffins are fluffy, with apple and rhubarb bits coated with crunchy cinnamon sugar. The recipe comes form 'The Australian Women's Weekely' magazine. 

Ingredients for  12 muffins:

• 225 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 66g soft butter
• 90 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 100g can pie apples
• 165g chopped rhubarb

 Cinnamon sugar:

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 Prepare cinnamon sugar. Ina  small bows whisk together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Chop the rhubarb into small pieces and set aside.

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

In a big bowl sift the flour, brown sugar and spices mix together Rub in the butter.  In separate jug combine whisked egg wit buttermilk. Pour in this mixture into the dry ingredients, add apples and rhubarb. Combine all ingredients together.

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes.
When baked transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

Apple pie cupcakes

I have received bag of cooking apples yesterday. When I saw them, I immediately decided to bake apple pie cupcakes. For a pastry I used my family recipe. My mum used to bake apple pie according this recipe and it never turn bad. It is very easy to make one and there is no need for fancy equipment to make it. But first apples need to be done :)

Ingredients for 6 apple pie cupcakes - apples:

• 1/2 kg cooking apples
• 1/2 mug brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• handful of raisins
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Peel of the apples, remove cores and dice the apples. Melt the butter on frying pan, then add diced apples, sugar, raisins and cinnamon. Cook this mixture on medium heat stirring occasionally. Remove form the heat when the apples turn soft, sugar melted and all mixture get a little bit juicy. Set aside.

Ingredients for pastry:

• 300g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g soft butter or margarine
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 egg
• some icing sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200C.  Get the large muffin tin ready with nest capacity 150ml. I used the silicone one which is very handy as it does not need to be greased.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and knead them until they turn into soft, sticky dough. Some people would put this dough into a fridge to chill it and then roll it, but I tear small pieces of if and simply stick them to the bottom and sides of baking tin, until they evenly covered. Fill 6 muffin tin nest with the dough, then put inside 2 tbsp of cooked apples inside and cover tops with remining dough. Bake for 20-25 min in the oven. Remove from the oven when cakes are slightly risen and golden on the top. Let them cool in baking tin as they mu crumble when removed to early. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon mixture before serving. 

 

 

Apple crumble cupcakes

This recipe comes from 'Cake days. Recipes to make every day special. The hummingbird bakery'. This cookbook authors say that this recipe is for more experienced baker but I think it is for very patient one. This recipe involves a few stages and each stage result needs time to cool down before added to previous one so patience is a must. The result did no disappointed me. Cupcakes were very nice, spongy moisture with apple surprise in the middle, coated with vanilla custard and sprinkled with oat crumble. Delicious !

To start with this recipe is to make apple filling. I have to be honest I used ready one, which I bought in jar. I love these apples and always buy them for apple pie so I could not replace them, even with home made apple filling. 

Ingredients fro 24 cupcakes:

• 80g unsalted butter
• 280g caster sugar
• 240g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 240 ml milks
• 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste

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

Put the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into electric mixer and on medium speed beat them together until they remind fine breadcrumbs. In the meantime in separate jug combine the eggs, milk and vanilla paste. Pour this mixture into 'breadcrumbs' and beat for a while, increase the speed and beat until the batter is smooth. The batter texture is liquid. Spoon three table spoons of batter into each paper case, then place in the middle two tea spoon of apple filling. This will sink into the cupcake batter. Do not fill more than 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 min. Remove them from oven and place on wire rack to cool down. The cupcakes are soft be careful not to squeeze them while removing from baking tin. 

Ingredients for custard topping:

• 500ml milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 5 egg yolks
• 200g caster sugar
• 30g plain flour
• 30g corn flour
• 200 ml double cream

To make custard topping pour the milk and vanilla into sauce pan and bring to boil. In a meantime combine the egg yolks, caster sugar, flours to make a paste. If the paste is too thick add 1 tbsp of the hot milk to thin it. When the milk has boiled mix 4-5 tbsp with the paste, then add the paste to the remaining milk and stir well. Return the mixture to the hob. Bring back to boils stirring continuously. Cook further to ensure the flour is cooked. Ready custard pour into wide dish, so it will cool down quickly. Set aside for 30-40 min.

In the meantime prepare crumble.

Ingredients for crumble topping:

• 55g plain flour
• 55g oats
• pinch of cinnamon
• 55g unsalted butter
• 40g soft brown sugar

Put all ingredients into heat proof dish and rub them using your fingertips, until they come together in an even, crumb-like consistency. Spread this mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish and bake them for 15 min in 200C. From  time to time open the oven and shake the crumble or break with fork so it will be easy to sprinkle over cupcake tops. Remove from oven, set aside to cool down.

Go back to custard. Remove cream from fridge, pout into electric mixer bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks. Check the cool down custurd, mix it with spoon to break up any lumps. When whiped cream is ready add it to custurd and stir in.

With a spoon put about two table spoons of custurd cream over each cupcake and sprinkle with crumble. Enjoy !

 

Apple and cinnamon muffins

Today simple, easy to make apple muffins. They are moisture, tasty, not too sweet, perfect for real muffin lovers. The recipe comes from 'Home baking cookbook'

Ingredients for 6 big or 12 smaller muffins:

• 90g wholemeal flour
• 70g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 small apples
• 125 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 55g butter

 Topping:

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wash the apples, peel off the skin, remove stones and chop them on smaller pieces. Set aside.

In small bowl mix  brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Melt the butter in microwave.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.
Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon together into large bowl and combine them. Add prepared earlier apples and sugar. In a separate bowl whisk egg, add milk and stir together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and stir until just blended. Do not over - stir the mixture it is fine for it to be a little lumpy.

Spoon the batter evenly into paper cases. Sprinkle each muffin top with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for 20-25 min, until well risen and springy in touch. Leave the muffins to cool slightly in the tin then transfer to wire rack to cool down completely. Can be served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy !

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.

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 !!