Very Berry Mini Muffins

Happy 2011!

Apologies for the long sabbatical at the end of last year. But don't fret. The baking continued, just not the blogging. It was Christmas after all...

You might be thinking January is a strange time to get back to blogging about baked goods. What about the world's obsession with being healthy and fit at the beginning of every year? Muffins and cakes don't fit into any fad or detox diet that I know of.

In light of this, and my ever going resolution to keep healthy, the next few blogs will focus on healthier bakes. Wholewheat, multi-grains, low-fat, low-cal, portion controlled, etc, etc.

One of the best tricks to lighter baking is fruit. It adds sweetness without refined sugars, moister without fat. Berries are good for a tart taste, bananas for a moist bite and orange for a tangy mouthful.

I had some defrosted frozen mixed berries on my pancakes this morning so I decided to use up the last of those in today's muffins. These are a nice little (mini, if you will) treat that look really interesting. M commented that 'you can tell there's no butter but they are still nice.' I agree. Moist and tart.

Very Berry Mini-Muffins.

1 cup oats

3/4 cup skim milk (semi-skimmed is fine too)

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup berries, any

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup almonds or walnuts (optional)

Combine the oats and milk in a bowl. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes

Combine flour, baking powder and sugar. Mix well. Add the oat mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Stir until the dry is just moistened.

Coat a muffin pan with non-stick fat-free spray (we use Fry Light Sunflower Spray). Fill cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350/gas mark 5 for 12-15 minutes, longer is using regular muffin tray.

Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

If you don't have a mini-muffin pan, the recipes works just as well with a regular muffin pan. Just extend the baking time. They are ready when a tooth-pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

My batter came out purple thanks for the berry mix and the tops of the muffins stayed purple, making them look really interesting. Shout out to my mother-in-law--she bought me the really pretty cake box behind the muffins in the picture.

Apple Streusel Muffins

It's been a long time, eh? Sorry about that. Besides being on holiday for a week, I took a little break from baking, mostly because it's almost Christmas and I do an extraordinary amount of baking for Christmas.

But, as it's Halloween, in the UK retail world tomorrow marks the official beginning of the Christmas season. And I really can't let autumn pass by, Halloween especially, without some seasonal baking.

Apples and pumpkin. Short of candy corn and cranberries, they are the staples of autumn baking. (Can you bake with candy corn, actually? Perhaps I'll experiment on that in the next few days...) Had I not used the last of the eggs for today's muffins today would have provided a double feature, these apple muffins and something else with the pumpkin puree that's s

itting in my fridge. Alas, no more eggs. And it's too rainy to go to the shop.

So it's just the muffins today. But they are plenty. Delicious with spice, nutty on top, great with a cup of Chai Spiced tea.

The recipe calls for flaxseed but I don't have any in the cupboard (can you believe Tesco want 5 quid for a box?). I substituted wheat germ instead, which worked fine. If you don't have either, perhaps whole wheat flour will suffice. Try it and see.

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple pie spice (see notes below)

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp canola oil

3/4 cup shredded apple with peel

2 tbsp chopped pecans

1 tbsp flaxseed

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350/gas 4.

Sift both flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices together. Make a well in the centre, set aside.

Beat eggs. Stir in milk and oil. Add to the flour mix. Stir together until just moistened. Fold in apple. Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

Combine pecans, flaxseed and sugar. Cut in butter until it looks like bread crumbs. Spoon on top of muffins.

Bake 18-20 minutes until skewer inserted comes out clean. They won't look that golden on top so don't overbake (I think I did a little). Check with a toothpick at 18 minutes to be sure then go from there.

For the apple pie spice, as it's not something sold in the UK (this is an American company's recipe), mix together 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 allspice and 1/8 tsp ground cardamom. This will produce more than the 1 tsp necessary but just barely. Feel free to make a bigger batch and store in your spice cupboard. I did.

Spiced Courgette Cake Muffins

Happy September! I have to say, this is now my favorite time of year, from now until January 2nd. I hate January and even the New Year's Day hangover is better than the entire month. But from September 1st till then is absolutely fabulous.

Is it my favorite time of year because the potential for baking is doubled compared to the spring? May be, but even before I fell in love with baking I loved the autumn. Smell of sharpened pencils, leaves on the lawns and crisp air is wonderful. I even enjoyed going back to school! Of course, fall semester in America means Homecoming, football games, back to school dances and pep rallies.

Possibly this autumn I'll attempt to capture that new school year-meets end of calendar year feeling. The sense of something beginning whilst at the same time, nature is getting set to hunker down for the year.

In the mean time I still have summer harvest courgettes to use up!

2 tbsp sunflower oil

100g plain flour

100g wholewheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 egg whites

5 tbsp skimmed milk

225g (8oz can) pineapple in chunks, drained of juice and mashed

250g grated courgette/zucchini

40g sultanas or raisins

40g chopped walnuts

Grease or line a muffin pan. Preheat oven to 190C/375F/5.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger into mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir.

Whisk together egg whites in small bowl. Mix in the milk and oil. Add mashed pineapple, courgette, sultanas and nuts. Stir together gently. Add fruit mix to flour mix. Stir until just combined, don't overmix.

Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cases. Bake 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden.

These are relatively moist but if you want a really good frosting, mix together 8oz any soft cheese (quark, cream cheese, marscapone etc) with 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Let muffins cool slightly before frosting; you don't want to curdle your cheese. Sprinkle with cinnamon or perhaps finely chopped nuts.

This is quite a healthy recipe, especially if you use low- or reduced-fat cheese to top.

Sorry for lack of pictures, again. These things just get eaten too quickly!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I never thought twice about the combination of ingredients in this cake and that, perhaps, it might be an unusual idea here in England. I grew up, not with homemade versions of this, but with the idea of poppy seed cake as normal, at least.

So when I decided to make this to take to a baby shower last weekend, I never thought people would look at it apprehensively. And I think I can understand why. In fact, when M went to the store to purchase the bag of poppy seeds for me, the incredibly chatty and friendly man at the till asked him if it was gunpowder.

Armed with my gunpowder spotted bundt cake (which is also not a normal thing in England) I placed my cake on the table along side more normal dishes of caramel shortbread, biscuits and the ever popular English Victoria sponge cake, complete with whipped cream and jam.

I will definitely make this cake again. The batter alone was wonderful, tasting of vanilla ice cream. Not only a delicious cake but presentable and attractive as well.

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup icing sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Preheat to 350/gas 4.

Place poppy seeds on baking sheet. Toast in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Coat bundt cake pan. This recipe can also be made as muffins or a sheet cake. Adjust baking times accordingly.

Whisk together dry ingredients including poppy seeds. Whisk together milk, oil, vanilla and lemon in a seperate bowl or jug.

Beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes. Fold dry mix into wet a third at a time, alternating with the egg/sugar mix. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes. Whilst baking, combine icing sugar, lemon and water to make a glaze. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack.

While still warm, poke holes in the cake with a fork. Brush glaze over cake.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

As strange as it is, one of my favourite vegetables to grow on my allotment is courgette. No one else really likes it, mainly because generally we end up with more marrow then zucchini, but I love how much you get from one plant and actually how much you can do with one courgette.

I probably also like it because you can bake cakes from it!

I didn't get a chance to try this recipe with last year's crop. As soon as I pulled the first courgette of the summer, I couldn't wait to give it a go.

Zucchini and chocolate seems weird but actually the zucchini makes the muffin moist and helps bulk it out. You don't actually taste zucchini.

I actually got this recipe from a collection of Weight Watcher recipes. The zucchinis take the place of some of the fat and milk. It's a good low-fat and low-calorie tea-time treat and can be baked as either a loaf or muffins.

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 oz chocolate pieces

2 cups shredded zucchini/courgette

325/gas 4

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Whisk eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Add dry mix gradually. Fold in zucchini and chocolate pieces.

Pour into prepared load tin or muffin tins. If muffins, bake 20-25 minutes, or until tops of muffins spring back. If a tea loaf, baking 55-60 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let cool entirely.

You can also add 1/2 cup walnuts in with the zucchini if you wish. I omitted them in mine to keep it lower in fat and calories.

Honey Banana Cake

Last week a co-worker, Kerry, gave me a jar of honey from his neighbor's bees (aptly titled Wayne Hooney. hehe.) Oh boy! The baking possibilities were seemingly endless. So I decided to take a go at a few different honey-based recipes. 

The nice thing about honey recipes is because the honey takes the place of sugar and some of the fat, the end result is generally healthier than honeyless baked goods. These muffins are low-fat and don't have a lot of calories compared to other muffins (ahem, Starbucks!) The banana and the honey mixed together mean you need almost no butter/margarine at all. 

The following was originally a cake recipe so feel free to try either.

Honey Banana Muffins

2oz butter or margarine

1 tbsp honey

1tbsp brown sugar

4oz self-raising flour

pinch cinnamon

1 egg

1 med banana, mashed

pinch salt

Beat butter or margarine with honey and sugar. Add egg and banana, beat well until mixed. Add sifted flour, salt and cinnamon. Mix until just moistened. 

Bake gas mark 4 for 18-20 or until browned and the tops spring back when touched. If making a cake, a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. 

In case you're wondering about nutrition facts (as I do with all my recipes) per muffin: 91 calories, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 11g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 3g sugar

Double Chocolate Brownies

Another picnic. Another chance to try out a healthier version of a recipe. And it almost went well. Brownies came out a little gooey, which is great for standing at the kitchen counter, picking at the goo and licking the chocolate off my fingers. In the future, I'll try a bigger pan to spread out the batter. That will give me a lot more nice crispy edges that I love.

Either way, it's only 111 calories and 4 grams of fat per bar. So even if you have to lick the goo off your fingers, go for it.

4 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350/gas 4

Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, water and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add chocolate chips pieces. Baking times will vary depending on your pan; I kept mine in the over for about 45 minutes. You want to be able to stick a skewer into the middle and it comes out clean and the edges crispy.

Sorry no pictures, my actual camera is in a friend's car and my iPhone died this weekend. Hopefully I'll have pictures for the rest of the recipes this week. But you all know what a brownie is supposed to look like.