Not my 5-a-day breakfast

This is a no-healthy-muffin-and-certainly-not-a-5-a-day post. I better declare that early because the only thing remotely healthy about this muffin is the fact that I used unbleached organic plain flour but nothing else. NOTHING else. 

Right now, I feel terribly clever. Terribly clever indeed for making such gorgeous muffins - like that which you could get at a bakery with coffee - come true in my own kitchen. Yay yay yay says my tummy! 

An indulgent, lemony-vanilla, moist, fine-crumbed muffin chock-a-block with the tiny semisweet chocolate chips I love; finished with a demerara, walnut, chocolate chip topping. Now why wouldn't that be the perfect way to start the day?

I suppose now that I've made a muffin so lovely in all its state of unhealthy grace, I should attempt some which are 'healthy'? Is sneaking in a bit of wholemeal flour and some rolled oats into the batter considered doing the healthy thing or an illusion of the healthy thing? 

Also, why is it that instead of actually making some healthy muffins, all my thoughts are now completely consumed with glorious visions of lemony Blueberry Muffins and boozy Rum & Raisin ones? Is there no help for me at all? 

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

115g Salted Butter, softened

160g Raw Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

200g Greek-style Yoghurt

240g unbleached organic Plain Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Scant 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

Mini semisweet Chocolate Chips

Zest of 1 Lemon, grated

Pinch of Salt

Topping - Some Demerara Sugar, chopped Walnuts and mini semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 140 Celsius. Line a 12-case large cupcake tray with paper cases. Set aside.

Mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix the Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the Butter and Sugar for a couple of minutes, just until combined. Beat in one Egg with an electric mixer, just until well combined. Repeat with the second Egg. Add in Vanilla, Lemon zest and pinch of Salt. Next, beat in the Yoghurt. Now, with a spatula fold in the Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda into the wet mixture to create a slightly stiff batter. Add in the Chocolate Chips.

Measure out all the batter into the 12 paper cases which have already been prepared. Sprinkle on the topping mixture. Place the tray in the oven and increase the temperature to 160 Celsius. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until the tops are golden and a skewer poked through the centre of a muffin comes out clean. 

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.