The last few days has been all about the new recipe book which will be up for sale tonight (I hope). It has been quite exhausting to try and have everything baked, photographed and then written up before I can even start to mess around with the layout of the book. I am getting there very slowly and methodically but the finishing line is now in sight and I am getting excited about it. I really enjoyed my little break from the kitchen at the weekend but I have really had to force myself back in there. I’m glad I did though as I have been baking some very tasty treats for the family – Berry muffins are my favourite at the moment.
This morning I made the children muffins for their breakfast. I have already shared this recipe under the title of “Berry Muffins“. It is featured on Yummly, Pinterest and on my blog so I am not including it today on my blog. You can find it on my blog at the post Muffins for Breakfast.
I find that I only really make muffins for breakfast in my house. I don’t tend to eat them any other time of the day as I think they are a treat which need to be eaten whilst still warm and when they are a cold they just don’t taste the same or rather the same texture. If there are any left over from the breakfast time I will reheat them the following day for the children to finish off. My children have picked up on this idea and will only eat them when they are warm and straight from the oven. I feel like my bad habit as rubbed off on them.
I don’t tend to decorate my muffins with chocolate or buttercream of any sort as I don’t think they need it. The muffin should be tasty enough without it unlike a cupcake which needs that added touch. The most decoration I add to a muffin is a crumble topping which gives an added crunch to the muffin.
Sometimes I make the muffin recipe and use it make a large muffin in a ring mould. I have a large [amazon_textlink asin=’B000KG8GLO’ text=’Pyrex ‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’wwwlovetobake-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’6d9ec89c-1532-11e7-a223-8f8dd22fe8ac’]glass dish which is shaped like a ring mould. It is really easy to use, produces great results and is really easy to clean. It is a great addition to the kitchen cupboard and one thing I would not be without. Any mould will do such as silicone or tin. Once the muffin is baked you can decorate it however you like or serve with custard as a pudding. A muffin with dried fruit such as currants added to it would work really well with custard as a winter pudding. Now I am hungry and I may have to make this for tea one day.
I have used different sugars in my muffin recipe over the years but still get the best results using caster sugar , even when I make chocolate muffins. The only reason I can think of as to why this happens is that the mixture for the muffins should not be overmixed and it is okay to leave some flour, sugar or soft spread unmixed and it actually produces better results. The caster sugar mixes in easier and I think that is why it produces better muffins. Over the years I have adjusted the sugar content as I feel that the flavours which you add to the recipe also add sweetness and this means the sugar can be reduced slightly. This would be my tip about baking muffins that are a hit with your family and friends.
As well as changing the sugar you could use gluten free flour in the recipe. The main two ingredients which I don’t think you could change are the eggs and the milk. Although I have used water and less milk in the recipe, when I have not had enough milk in the house. I have made muffins with fruit and vegetables such as apples, courgettes, carrot, pumpkins, bananas, peach, strawberries, blueberries and so on. The list could go on and on. Nuts can be added as well as dried fruit and of course sweets and chocolate. M & M muffins are a delight to behold as the colours spread into the muffin mix and the children love them.
Before I go back to the other jobs which I have to try and finish today I have just remembered about when I had a placement at university in a restaurant where one of my jobs for the day was to grate 150 courgettes to be added to a muffin recipe which the restaurant was going to be selling that day. Needless to say after that day I would not eat another courgette for a long time or go near a grater. Hahaha 🙂 Oh the things you had to do when you were younger.
Back to list of jobs, I must go, and tomorrow I hope to be sharing another recipe on my blog and website (all going well).