Bitten by muffins

It's the end of the Chinese New Year holidays, it's raining outside and tomorrow I go back to work. Life feels better than it did a week ago and I have the results off my baking therapy sessions sitting in the kitchen i.e. Delia Smith's Classic Christmas Cake and Apple Muffins.

Let's leave Delia aside for today and talk about the muffins. These are my FIRST attempt at muffins and I've found a new love. They were quick to put together (the only 'long' bit being peeling and cutting the apples) and quite delicious straight out of the oven. I overdid the mixed spice, so the muffins seem to smell of cinnamon and coconut - not my favourite smells or flavours - and yet is soft, moist and so damned indulgent. 

In fact, I'm thinking about having another soon... very soon with a nice hot cup of tea. A great way to slide into work tomorrow methinks.


Tucking into muffin No. 1

APPLE MUFFINS

Adapted from Cherry on a Cake

240g Plain Plour + 1 tablespoon Baking Powder + 1/4 teaspoon Mixed Spice + a pinch of Salt

100g Caster Sugar

1 large Egg

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

3/4 cup Full Cream Milk + 2 tablespoons natural Yoghurt

125g Butter, melted and cooled

1 Red Apple, cleaned and chopped

2 tablespoons Rolled Oats

Streusel Topping

60g Plain Flour + scant 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

50g cold Butter

50g Soft Brown Sugar

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Mixed Spice

Handful of Walnuts, chopped fine

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Place 10 muffin cups on a flat baking tray.

Sieve flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt together. Set aside. In a bowl, beat sugar, vanilla and egg with an electric mixer until frothy and thick. Beat in the milk/yoghurt  mixture and then the melted butter. Gently fold in by hand the dry ingredients, apples and oats until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon into prepared muffin cases, top with Streusel and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes on 160 Celsius until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Right, I'm off for that second muffin and thank you Zurin for this lovely recipe.