Blueberry Muffins

It's blueberry time again. Every year this time of summer there is a glut of blueberries in the grocery aisle. I thought of baking this with a new recipe from my reliable The New Best Recipe cookbook. I readily found out after taking the muffins out of the pan that I needed paper cases for these. They soon began listing on one side due to collapsing blueberries as they cooked and the cake itself was quite soft which really was not a problem. It was just some aesthetic thing. The topping, by the way, is optional. You can eat straight from the oven as is or put on some topping of your choice.


Blueberry Muffins

260 g  [2 cups] plain flour
1 Tbsp  baking powder
1/2 tsp  fine salt
1 large egg
200 g  [1 cup] granulated sugar
60 g  [1/4 cup] unsalted butter - melted
300 g  [1 1/4 cups] sour cream
200 g  [heaping 1 cup] fresh blueberries

*Topping 1:
50 g  [1/4 cup] granulated sugar
1/4 tsp  ground cinnamon
melted butter

*Topping 2:
50 g  [1/4 cup] granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
lemon zest
100 g  [1/2 cup] sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper muffin cases.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg then add the sugar. Mix well.
4. Add the butter and then the sour cream. Mixing well after each addition.
5. Stir in the blueberries into the flour mixture and stir to combine.
6. Using a spatula, add the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Mix just enough to combine.
7. Divide the batter in the prepared muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
9. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
10. *For topping 1: While still warm, brush melted butter on top and dip in the combined sugar and cinnamon.
11. *For topping 2: Combine the lemon zest and 1/2 cup sugar, set aside. Cook the lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. While the muffins are still warm, brush top with the lemon syrup and then dip the top into the lemon sugar.

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

She was telling the truth! Lesley Allin that is, the author of the Great American Food cookbook. I've done several good recipes of hers before though the last two was quite so-so that's why I was quite reluctant to try once more. But I had to because all my other cookbooks are packed in boxes (for our move) and hers is the only one available that has a blueberry muffin recipe.

I just have to make some since I can't resist the heaps of blueberries in the supermarkets. They looked all so plump, juicy and delicious. They're good for you, too. Besides being a good source of vitamin C, fibre and being fat-free, it apparently can lower cholesterol as well.

About the muffins, the last ones (from a cookbook I shall not name) I made were not quite up to par with all the berries sinking to the bottom. I think I chucked most of them in the bin. This time, the batter held its mettle and managed to hold on to the blueberries and make them evenly distributed. The muffin itself was cakey and smelled fantabulous just like what any self-respecting muffin should be. Lovely to eat warm or cold. So Lesley's now back in my good books. :)


Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

200 g  [1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp] self-raising flour
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
45 g  [3 Tbsp] unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
170 g  [heaping 3/4 cup] caster sugar (superfine)
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
grated rind of 1 lemon*
1 tsp vanilla extract*
200 g  [about 1 1/2 cup] fresh or frozen blueberries
granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/fan 180°C. Grease or line with paper liners a 12-hole muffin pan.
2. Combine the flour, salt, and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a big bowl, beat the butter and the sugar.
4. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add the sour cream and lemon rind and/or vanilla. Beat to mix.
6. Fold in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon.
7. Add in the blueberries.
8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans.
9. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
11. Cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pan.

*Note: You may use either the lemon rind or vanilla or use both.

Low-fat Banana & Blueberry Muffins

I wanted to make something to take to a family friend who recently had a spell in the hospital after an operation. He's been recovering well at his home for several weeks and I just wanted to give him a treat while at the same time not increasing his sugar and cholesterol level. Thank goodness the March 2006 BBC Good Food Magazine just went thru our letter box and contained this recipe which I think is quite wholesome. It is certainly not sweet and quite moist inside because of the fresh bananas and blueberries.


Low-fat Banana & Blueberry Muffins

300 g  self-raising flour
50 g  porridge oats plus 1 Tbsp for topping
100 g  [2/3 cup] light muscovado sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 medium bananas - mashed (about 1 cup)
284 ml  buttermilk
5 Tbsp olive oil
2 egg whites - slightly beaten
150 g  fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper muffin cases.
2. Reserve 1 Tbsp of the muscovado sugar. Mix the rest of it with the flour and 50 gm oats.
3. In another bowl, mix the egg whites, oil, and mashed bananas until well combined.
4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and quickly stir and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Add the blueberries and give it a few stirs.
6. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Sprinkle the 1 Tbsp oats and 1 Tbsp muscovado sugar on top.
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.
8. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan then remove and cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Most of my recipes here are 'basic', you know ones that are basis of endless variations depending on availability of ingredients, cook's mood, or customer's (ones who will eat it) preference. That's always been my intention, to record all my basic recipes first then do the variations afterwards. I have a running list in my head of basic recipes I will post here. One of them is this chocolate chip muffin. I waited sometime because I was looking for a recipe that would do better than what we sampled over the years.

Most of the recipes we tried tasted good but the consistency of the batter is not thick enough thus, making the chocolate chips to sink to the bottom. More often the muffin would result in some kind of a layered cupcake. All chocolates at the bottom with all the cake batter on top. This is the first one we had where the choc chips were more or less evenly distributed throughout. I adapted this from Peter Shaffer's The Genuine American Cookie & Muffin Book. Try it, you'll love it. :)


Chocolate Chip Muffins

350 g  [2 2/3 cups] plain flour
200 g  chocolate chips (plain or milk)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs - beaten
200 ml [heaping 3/4 cup] plain natural yoghurt
215 g  [1 cup] soft Demerara sugar
115 g  [1/2 cup less 2 tsp] butter - melted
2 tsp vanilla flavouring

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Grease or line a 12-hole muffin pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Add in chocolate chips and mix.
4. Combine melted butter and sugar in another bowl. Beat until well combined.
5. Add yoghurt, eggs, and vanilla.
6. Fold butter mixture into the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
7. Put in 10 of 12 muffin pans. Half-fill the remaining 2 with hot water to avoid burning the pan and give moisture while baking.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until metal skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!
9. Let stand for a few minutes in the pan, turn out and cool on a rack.

Peachy Yoghurt Muffin

There are times when you encounter a recipe that looks innocuous, plain, and relatively bland. However, you get surprised with the result's amazing aroma, moist consistency, and scrumptious taste. I was in baking bliss when I took these muffins out of the oven. Quite unpredictably, it exceeded all my expectations. I love the slightly burnt/toasted smell of the sugar sprinkled on top, the aroma of the whole wheat flour baking, the nice tang of morsels of peaches inside. It is also here in this recipe that I learned about keeping the muffins moist by half filling one or two of the muffin cups with water. I love it so much that I gave most of it away otherwise I would be scoffing down every single one of them. :sigh: Baking highs and dieting blues.

This is from the The Genuine American Cookie & Muffin Book by Peter Shaffer.


Peachy Yoghurt Muffin

225 g  [8 oz] plain flour
115 g  [4 oz] wholemeal plain flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs - beaten
240 ml  plain natural yoghurt or sour cream
85 g  butter - melted
3 Tbsp honey
85 g  dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
175 g  fresh or canned ripe peaches - peeled (or drained) and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan (2 1/2-inch holes) by lining 10 or 11 of the cups with paper liners.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and ground cinnamon).
3. In another bowl mix eggs, yoghurt, butter, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add in the peaches and mix.
4. Gradually fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon batter into 10 (or 11) of the 12 prepared muffin cups up. Fill each cup up to 3/4 full. Fill remaining empty cups half full with water to avoid burning the muffin pan and give moisture while baking.
6. Sprinkle tops with granulated sugar and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops spring back when gently touched. Do not overbake. Allow to stand for 2 minutes, turn out on wire rack or plate to cool.

IMBB 13: Simnel Muffins

Savoury muffins were my intended entry to the 13th edition of Is My Blog Burning? food blogging event which this time is hosted by Makiko of Just Hungry. However, when I saw this in the book 101 Cakes & Bakes by BBC's Good Food magazine, I thought I just have to make these remembering that Easter is almost upon us and they would make good substitutes for those chocolate eggs kids get *every* year. My youngest (J3) and I had a blast making these especially when it came to putting the finishing touches - icings and mini eggs on top. This was one of the most enjoyable IMBB I had, not only were our creations sold out (kids were arguing on who gets to give to his/her friends) but the muffins were really good and scrumptious plus attractive, too.

One of the recent things I discovered, if you half fill one of the cups in the muffin pan with hot water, it will keep the inside of the muffins moist. The water keeps the air in the oven humid and prevents the pan from getting too hot.

The muffins are miniature simnel cakes. You know that rich, traditional (in the West) Easter cake made up of dried fruits and a layer of marzipan in the middle. The miniature versions have got that layer, too. J3 very much enjoyed rolling and flattening those marzipans probably as much as the excitement of waiting for the lot to come out of the oven. Try these they're really very good with a delectable taste of orange, raisins, currants, mixed spice, nutmeg, and almonds with a topping of mini chocolate eggs of course!


Simnel Muffins

250 g  dried mixed fruits
grated zest and juice of 1 medium orange
175 g  butter - softened
175 g  [3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp] golden caster sugar
3 eggs - beaten
300 g  [2 1/4 cup] self-raising flour*
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
5 Tbsp milk
175 g  marzipan

*For Decorating:
200 g  [1 3/4 cup] icing sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
sugar eggs or sugar coated mini chocolate eggs

1. Put the mixed dried fruits in a bowl with the orange zest and juice. Leave to soak for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line 12 deep muffin pans with paper muffin cases.
3. Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl. In another bowl mix the flour, nutmeg, and mixed spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for about 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Stir in the fruits well.
4. Half fill the muffin cases with the mixture.
5. Divide the marzipan into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls, then flatten with your thumb. Put one in each muffin case and top with the rest of the mixture.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Remove and cool in racks completely.
7. For the decoration: beat together the icing sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over the cooled muffins and top with a cluster of mini chocolate eggs.

Notes: *1 cup self-rasing flour = 1 cup plain flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt.
For more moist muffins: line and put batter in only 11 of 12 muffin cups leave one of the cups in the middle empty. Half fill the 12th muffin cup with hot water.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a favourite of my eldest daughter - the chocolate enthusiast in the family. Very chocolatey and smells heavenly once you take out of the oven. Guaranteed to be a hit among kids and the not so small kids in among us.

I adapted this from the The Genuine American Cookie & Muffin Book by Peter Shaffer. The only thing I adjusted is the sugar. I increased it because it needed a bit more sweetness to match the chocolate chips in it. This is very easy enough for you and your children to make. Just be careful not to over bake or the inside will become quite dry.


Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

350 g  [2 3/4 cup] plain flour
85 g  [3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp] unsweetened cocoa powder
200 g  chocolate chips (plain or milk)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp fine salt

2 large eggs - beaten
1/2 cup plain natural yoghurt or sour cream
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp milk
175 g  butter - melted
270 g  [1 1/3 cup] soft Demerara sugar (packed)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F. Grease (or line) a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients - eggs, yoghurt, milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla.
4. Gradually fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Spoon batter into the greased muffin pans. Fill to the top of each cup.
6. Bake for 18 - 24 minutes or until tops spring back when gently touched. Do not over bake. Cool in wire rack. Serve warm or cold.