Oat bran, raspberry, banana and chocolate chip muffins

Interesting combination of flavours, sweet and sour with dark chocolate bits. Additionally packed with bran. Delicious, prefect for breakfast...

The idea comes from this website.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 285g flour
• 25g oat bran
• 1 tsp soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 60 ml honey
• 65g brown sugar
• 260g mashed bananas
• 65g natural yogurts
• 1 egg
• 175 ml milk
• 90g chocolate chip
• 230g frozen raspberries

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

In a big bowl mix the flour, bran, soda, salt, cinnamon and set aside.

In a separate bowl stir sugar and honey together until most of lumps are gone. Add mashed bananas, yogurt and egg. Sir them well. 

Pour wet ingredients into w bowl with dry ingredients add the milk and mix them until just combined. At last, but not at least, gently fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases filling them up to top. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Mango - coconut muffins

Healthy, tasty a bit exotic muffins. The recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 6 big muffins:

• 125 ml coconut oil
• 120g flour
• 85g wholewheat flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 280 ml yogurt
• 1 egg
• 100g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 100g dessicated coconut
• 270g mango (I used tinned mango)

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

Cut the mango into small chunks. Melt the oil and set aside to cool down.

Mix the flours, baking powder, coconut and salt. In separate bowl mix the yogurt, egg add the sugar and vanilla. 

Pour the wet ingredients mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients. Add the oil. Mix everything until all ingredients are just combined. At last, but not at least, fold in the mango chunks.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, sprinkle with coconut. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. 

Enjoy !

For Polish translation look here.

Kasztanki muffins

Kasztanki are my favourite sweets. Crunchy, cocoa filling covered in thick layer of rich, dark chocolate. This time I have decided to bake them in muffins. The recipe comes form here. The result ? I think they were ok but I wouldn't say were extremely delicious. After the author of these recipe i have decided not to add sugar into the dough but now I think I should. Anyway they were eaten and nobody complained :)

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 1 and 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 10 Kasztanki
• 100g butter
• 50g chocolate (I used milk one)
• 125 ml yogurt
• 2 eggs

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

Place the chocolate and butter into a sauce pan and heat up until both ingredients melt down. Set aside to cool down. 

Chop the Kasztanki into small chunks. In a big bowl mix the flour, soda, baking powder you may add few tablespoons of sugar. Stir in the Kasztanki chunks. 

Add yogurt into melted chocolate and stir well. Then add the eggs. When all wet ingredients are well combined pour the mixture into dry ingredients. Mix everything until just combined. The batter is very thick.

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until well risen and golden. 

Recipe in Polish

 Enjoy !

    

Bran, rhubarb barley flakes and yogurt muffins

Very tasty, packed with fibre, rhubarb muffins with barley flakes crumble. We liked them a lot. I think they are perfect for lunch box. Freshly baked were light and fluffy the next day were bit moist and dense but still very good. And the lovely, crunchy, buttery crumble.. yummy.

Ingredients for  5 big muffins:

• 75g rhubarb
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 40g oat bran
• 3 tbsp barley flakes
• 150g flour
• 3 tbsp palm sugar (you can use demerara instead)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 150g natural yogurt
• 1 egg
• 100 ml milk

Cut the rhubarb into small chunks place in a sauce pan add sugar and cook until  release juices. Set aside to cool down.

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

Put the bran, barley flour, sugar baking powder in a big bowl and mix them together.

In separate jug mix the yogurt, milk and egg. 

Add the rhubarb into a dry ingredients bowl and stir. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them until all ingredients are just combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Then chop additional piece of rhubarb into small chunks and sprinkle on top of each muffin. 

Crumble:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp barley flakes
• 30g butter
• 2 tbsp flour

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix them with your fingers until start forming chunks. Sprinkle those chunks on top of each muffin.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Banana muffins with banana liqueur

Recently I have found a full bottle of banana liqueur in my cupboard. I have decided to try to add this liqueur into  muffin's batter. I was quite happy with the result. Muffins were spongy, fluffy and chewy at the same time, with a hint of banana. I also added some liqueur into frosting and was delicious too. Rich, sweet actually could be eaten without the muffins. 

Ingredients for  7 muffins:

• 1 banana
• 60 ml banana liqueur
• 1 egg
• 50 ml natural yogurt
• pinch of salt
• 80 ml sugar
• 250g self - rising flour

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

Mash the banana with fork. Add the liqueur, egg and yogurt and stir well. Then add the flour, sugar and salt mix again until all ingredients are just combined.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, 3/4 full. bake in preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes until skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Transfer baked muffins into a wire rack to cool them down. 

Ingredients for frosting:

• 65 ml double cream
• 100 g Mascarpone cheese
• 50g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp banana liqueur
• 1 banana
• lemon juice

 The cream, Mascarpone, and sugar place in an electric mixer bowl and whisk until creamy. Then add banana liqueur and whisk again. Put into a fridge for an half an hour to chill before decorating the muffins. 

If you wish to put slice of banana on top of each muffin, slice the banana and cover the slices in lemon juice this will prevent the banana from turning brown.

Put the chilled frosting into icing bag with nozzle and decorate the muffins. On top of each place a slice of banana. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Poppyseed marzipan muffins

Welcome everyone on 2014. Happy New Year to all !!

This year I would like to welcome you with poppy seed and marzipan muffins. They are really tasty, sweet, moist but not dense with beautiful almond aroma. I would recommend them to everybody.

Ingredients for 9 big or 12 standard size muffins:

• 140g flour
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g sugar
• 100g marzipan
• 2 eggs
• 100g natural yogurt
• 150g margarine
• almond flakes to sprinkle

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

Grate the marzipan into thick shaves, set aside.

Melt the margarine and set aside to cool down.

In a big bowl mix the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, sugar and marzipan shaves. Set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with yogurt.

Pour the yogurt mixture, cooled margarine into a bowl with dry ingredients. Stir everything until smooth.

Spoon the batter into paper cases up to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with almond flakes. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes. Check with skewer if poked in the middle of the muffins comes out clean then muffins are ready. 

Remove form the oven and leave them in the muffin tin until cooled down. 

 

Enjoy !

For recipe in Polish please have a look here.

Almond cupcakes with mascarpone frosting

Those aromatic, rich and dense almond cupcakes are perfect for Christmas. Topped with Mascarpone frosting which should resemble Christmas trees. They are easy to make and look lovely. Perfect as a small Christmas gift or edible table decoration. 

The recipe for a cupcakes comes from this web site and the one for frosting from this one. 

Ingredients for 12-15 cupcakes:

• 140g flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 3 eggs
• 100g natural yogurt 
• 175g melted butter

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

Melt the butter down and set aside to cool down. Place the flour, almonds, baking powder, sugar in a bowl and mix them together. Set aside. In separate bowl whisk the eggs, almond extract and natural yogurt.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ones add the melted butter and mix until combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes. Bake until skewer inserted in the middle on the cake comes out clean.

Transfer baked cupcakes into a wire rack to cool them down completely before piping the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting 12 cupcakes:

• 100ml cold double cream
• 250g Mascarpone cheese
• 5 tbsp icing sugar*
• green food colouring
• almond essence
• chocolate starts
• sugar sprinkles

* if you wish you can add more sugar as those frosting is not very sweet

Place the Mascarpone cheese, sugar and food colouring in a bowl and mix them until smooth . 

With an electric whisk whisk the double cream until foamy. Then add the almond essence and Mascarpone mixture. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Put the frosting into piping bag with nozzle and decorate the cupcakes. Place the chocolate star on top and sprinkle with some sugar sprinkles. 

For recipe in Polish please click here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW 2014 YEAR !!

Enjoy !

Desserts made of jelly

Today I would like to present a few ideas for jelly desserts. Usually I make them in ramekins so when they are ready they look like small cupcakes.

Jelly dessert with yogurt and fruits:

• 3 packets of different flavoured jellies
• frozen raspberries
• 1 pot of fruit yogurt

Prepare 6 ramekins. Put the frozen raspberries on the bottom of each ramekin.

Prepare the red jelly according the method printed on the packet but reduce the amount of water to 300ml. 

Pour the warm jelly mixture into each ramekin only to cover the raspberries. Let the mixture in the ramekins to cool down then place them in fridge to speed up setting process.When this first layer is set prepare the second one.

Again prepare the jelly according the method n the packet but reduce the amount of water to 300ml. Stir in the yogurt and mix until smooth. Cool it down. Then pour the mixture over each raspberry jelly layer. Place in the fridge to set.

Prepare the last jelly again reducing the amount of water. Cool it down and pour on the set layer of yogurt jelly. Remaining jelly pour into deep plate so when it sets can be cut with knife and used to decorate the jelly. 

When jelly is ready you can either eat it straight form the ramekin or transfer it the the plate. To remove jelly from ramekin dip the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds then place it upside down on the plate. Enjoy !

Another idea is to prepare jelly with milk. 

Ingredients for 6 ramekins:

• 2 packets of jelly
• 500ml milk
• 1 packet or leaf of gelatin

Prepare the jelly according the instructions on the packet. Divide the jelly  in the 6 ramekins. Place them in the fridge to set.

Dissolve some sugar and gelatin with warm milk. Pour it over set jelly and place in the fridge again.

Prepare the last jelly and pour it over the set milk. 

When ready transfer to the plate. Dip the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds then place upside down on the plate and  remove the ramekin. You can sprinkle with some sugar if you wish.

Enjoy !

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 !

Lemon cupcakes with icing

This lemon cupcakes are really delicious. Moist and  lemony cake covered with royal icing. This is an idea for Valentine's Day. I know they don't look perfect but the made with love.  I think they may be a pretty candle light supper table decoration and lovely dessert at the same time. The recipe for cupcakes comes from here.

Ingredients for 6-8 heat shaped cupcakes:

• 175g flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 160g sugar
• 75g butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 tbsp yogurt
• 40 ml lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon zest

 Preheat the oven to 180C. Slightly grease the baking moulds.

Put the butter and sugar int an electric mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time. When evenly incorporated add lemon juice and zest.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add half of the flour into a batter mixture, add 3 tbsp of yogurt and mix well. Add the remaining flour and yogurt and mix again.

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier moulds, 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes. When ready leave them in the baking moulds for a few minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

Icing:

• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups  icing sugar
• few drops of lemon juice
• red food colouring
• sugar sprinkles

Pour the egg whites into an electric mixer bowl and whisk them until slightly stiff.  Add sugar and whisk on low until all incorporated. Add the lemon juice and food colouring. 

Spread this icing over each heart shaped cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles. Leave on a plate to harden. 

Enjoy !

Pistachio cupcakes

This is my favourite type of cake. Fluffy, sweet with golden crust cake. And those pistachio nuts ! Just yummy :) . The recipe comes from 'Cake days. Recipes to make every day special. The hummingbird bakery'

Ingredients for 12-18 cupcakes:

• 190g soft butter
• 190g flour
• 190g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 25ml yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 100g shelled, chopped pistachios

Shell the pistachios and chop them roughly. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

In separate bowl sift togetehr the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add them to creamed mixture in two batches and mix on low speed until just incorporated. 

Add the yogurt, vanilla. Then stir in the pistachios by hand.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. When ready transfer to the wire rack to cool down completely.

While the cupcakes are still in the oven prepare the glaze.

Ingredients for glaze:

• 120 icing sugar
• 40g ground pistachios
• 2-3 tbsp water

Shell the pistachios, place them in the blender and blend them. You can use ground pistachios instead if available in your area. 

Put the icing sugar into a bowl add 2 table spoons of water and mix together. The mixture should be relatively thick. Stir in half of ground pistachios. If you think the mixture is too thick add additional spoon of water and stir well. 

Spoon the glaze over each cupcake top and sprinkle with remaining pistachios. 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 !