We've run low on readybrek and porridge so until I can get some more over from home next week I've been varying breakfasts more than normal. My latest additions are some muffins which Freddie and all the family really like. I make them with plenty of wholewheat, no sugar and overall they are pretty healthy. We have them with fruit and sometimes spread with a little yoghurt philadelphia.
Apple and Cheese Muffins
Bit of a mix of measurements here - weighed in ozs but did liquid in mls.
Ingredients
9 oz whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried herbs (optional and whatever takes your fancy if you do use them)
1-2 eating apples peeled and finely chopped
4 oz cheddar cheese finely cubed
2 eggs
50ml cooking oil (neutral in flavour, so not olive oil)
250ml milk
Method
Preheat oven to 180oC (170oC if fan oven)
Sieve flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl (if sieve is too fine then just mix well).
Mix in the herbs (if you are using them) and cheese.
Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then whisk in the oil and milk.
Mix all the ingredients together – flour mix, wet mix and apple. Don’t overmix.
Spoon into muffin cases (I used about 1 tbls per case and got 15).
Bake for approx. 25 mins (less for a fan oven I’d imagine).
Cool for about 5 mins in tin then transfer to rack and allow to cool fully.
I precooked the apple when I made these with eating apples as I find it takes a longish time to soften up. I’d imagine with cooking apples they should just be used raw.
Made these a second time, half quantities and slightly different:
60g white flour
65g whole-wheat flour
Pinch salt
1 eating apple peeled, cored and coarsely grated
100g cheddar coarsely grated
1 egg
25ml sunflower oil
125ml milk
Same method. Filled muffin cases to top and got 6 muffins
Banana and Date Muffins
Ingredients
125g plain flour
125g wholewheat flour
2tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
100ml milk
125ml pineapple and coconut smoothie (or more milk if you don't have this)
100g v. soft butter
2 eggs
6 large dates destoned
1 ripe banana
Method
Preheat oven to 180oC
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl
Whisk together the milk, smoothie, butter and eggs. The mixture will probably look a bit weird with lots of tiny bits of butter floating about it in. This is fine.
Finely chop the dates, mash the banana with a fork and mix both into the liquid mixture.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Spoon into muffin cases and bake for 25 mins.
Allow to cool in the cases for a couple of minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
I use silicon muffin cases which are really easy to turn the muffins out of. I fill them to the top as I find the mix doesn’t rise as much as if it were plain flour only due to the wholewheat flour. I get 12 such muffins from this mix.