muffins with a little power

I have not been consistent in keeping up with my blog lately. As much as I wanted to put up a blog post at least once a week, somehow life gets in the way. I am more than happy that the one month school holidays is finally over, I am able to do a lot more when the kids are in school :)

I don't want to bore you with yet another post on muffins, but pardon my lack of skills and creativity, I do not have talents to go beyond baking the usual muffins and simple cakes!
These plain jane muffins are neither eye catching or looks mouth watering...but, they certainly are worthy of my calories...

Sometime back, my baking friend has kindly given me a pack of Chia Seeds...something which I have not heard of before I hit the search button. These tiny seeds is packed with a wealth of nutrients and minerals and is also a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre. When combined with water, the fiber in chia seed will cause it to swell up to form a layer of gel around it, which is known as chia gel. So if you eat chia seeds or chia gel (chia seeds soaked in liquid or any beverage), it will keep you full (so that you will eat less) making it very nutritious and healthy for your diet. Because of this gel-like property in chia seeds, it can easily be used in baking to act as a binder or thickener and can be used as a good substitute for eggs. The nutritional value of any meals, beverage or baked goods can be easily enhanced with just a sprinkle of chia seed.

Hope you are convinced by now that these plain-janes are worth a lot more than their appearance. Besides chia seed, I have also packed in banana and walnuts into each of these little cuppies.

These wholesome muffins are soft and tender with just the right sweetness. I really like the interesting combination of texture of the soft, fluffy crumbs with the walnuts and nutty chia seeds. Chia seed is actually tasteless, but I like the crunch it offers when each bite. Besides vanilla extract, I have also added some rum (it was the first time I am using rum in baking), but guess the amount was too little (only half a teaspoon) for me to be able to detect its presence. I was really hesitant as I wasn't sure whether it would be too strong a flavour for my kids, will be more generous the next time.

Banana Walnut Chia Seeds Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 8 muffins)

150g cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
50g caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large over ripped bananas, roughly mashed
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Method:

1. Sieve flour and baking powder, set aside.
2. Roughly mash bananas with a fork.
3. Place sugar, eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk to combine.
4. Add in oil, vanilla extract, whisk to combine.
5. Add in mashed banana, stir with a spatula to combine.
6. Add in chopped walnuts, chia seeds and sieve over the flour mixture, stir with spatula until just incorporated. DO NOT Overmix. The batter should appear lumpy.
7. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill to ¾ full.
8. Bake in preheated oven at180degC for 25mins until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack, leave to cool completely.

not my everyday muffins

These are not your everyday muffins.
They are uji matcha or green tea muffins topped with mini chocolate chips...
made, not by the usual 'muffin method' of mixing the dry with the wet ingredients, but by creaming butter and sugar...
and, there's a little surprise in each of these delicious cuppies...
what's the surprise?! A ball of cream cheese in the middle!

Well, the cream cheese is meant to be in the middle, but mine was too close to the top ;)

I didn't blame myself as I did follow the instruction closely, that is, to fill the muffin cups to half full before adding the cream cheese balls. I believe if I were to fill it to 1/3 full, the cream cheese would be right there in the middle. It also turns out that the cream cheese became tapered and not round like a ball. I think it has to do with my shaping. I am not complaining, since there is a 'heart' in every one of those muffins ;) I have taken the recipe from a cookbook ' Home Baking  (loosely translated as: Home Baking on a Sunday). My baking friend suggested that I could try out this recipe after I told her I have some left over cream cheese from the matcha cheesecake tart. I am so glad I heeded her advice!

These aren't my everyday muffins. They're indulgent!
The texture is tender, moist, much softer and lighter than a slice of pound cake. I guess they taste just like cupcakes, minus the frosting. There is also a good balance of flavours...matcha, cream cheese and chocolate...each having its own distintive taste, yet, with not one flavour overpowering any of the others. What can I say? Every bite is a delight!

Oh, before I forget, they taste really good when freshly baked! So, if want to give this a try, do plan ahead, you won't regret enjoying them with your morning or afternoon cup of tea, warm and fresh from the oven :)


I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #30: it's Tea time! (April 2013) hosted by Food Playground.
Matcha Green Tea Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients:
(makes 10, muffin cup size: diameter 6cm top, 4.5cm bottom, ht 3.5cm)

150g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
15g icing sugar

85g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
145g cake flour
5g matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1g salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
80g milk
some mini chocolate chips


Method:

• With a wooden spoon or a spatula, mix cream cheese in a mixing bowl still smooth. Add in icing sugar, mix to combine. Divide the mixture into 10 portions (about 15-16g each). Shape each into round balls. Leave to chill in fridge.
• Place butter in a mixing bowl, beat with a balloon whisk or an electric mixer till smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture turns pale, light and fluffy.
• Gradually add in the egg, little by little, whisking after each addition. 
• Sieve over the flour, matcha powder and baking powder. Fold with a spatula until just combined.
• Add the salt, stir to combine.
• Add in the milk gradually and fold with spatula until just combined.  
• Fill paper muffin cups with batter till about 1/3 full, add the cream cheese balls to each muffin cup. Spoon over the remaining batter till each muffin cup is almost full. Sprinkle top with some mini chocolate chips.
• Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for about 20-25mins until the top is lightly browned or until a toothpick inserted into the side comes out clean.

I don't get tired of muffins...

and I do find inspiration in them...

Whenever I miss the simple act of mixing flour, eggs, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, the image of a tray of freshly baked muffins would jump out from behind the back of my mind. There is always a muffin recipe waiting for me to explore; and I have never seems to be short of any of the basic ingredients that is called for...be it flour, eggs, milk, sugar and vegetable oil. There is always a bag of left over chocolate chips, some left over dried fruits, walnuts, hidden somewhere in my fridge (^_^").

Oh yes, not forgetting the fact that I have one drawer full of paper muffin cups!

It took me just slightly over half an hour from reading the recipe to popping these muffins into the oven. I have adapted a cinnamon and nuts muffins recipe to turn it into a batch of Cinnamon, Walnuts and Chocolate Chips Muffins.  Before I was done washing up the mixing bowls, I could already smell cinnamon :)

Warm, freshly baked, homemade muffins are not only a nice treat for breakfast but also great for a casual tea time at home. These muffins are full flavour, certainly not a surprise as they are studded with all the walnuts, chocolate chips and cinnamon. The texture is a teeny weeny on the dry side...maybe they are made with milk only...I guess I am so used to the very moist muffins made with yoghurt.

I am so inspired by these lovely muffins that I think I have done a decent job in the composition of the above images. Of course, I must thank my cyberfriend VB for sending me the pretty muffin liners, gorgeous kitchen towels and the matching mug! I could almost imagine myself sitting inside a lovely little cafe at a little town in Provence, drinking tea and savouring muffins... ahem...delicate French desserts ;)

Cinnamon Walnuts and Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 9 regular size muffins)

140ml milk
80ml canola or corn oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract, until just combined.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and stir to combine.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). 
4. Reserve 1 tablespoon each of the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Gently stir in the rest of the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips into the batter. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full.
6. Sprinkle top with the reserved chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. 
7. Bake in preheated oven at 200degC for about 20 - 25mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from 我的幸福手作面包，李成实

knocking down my mental blocks

Here's another small step towards getting out of my comfort zone...

I love baking and eating muffins, but believe it or not, this is the first time in my 5 years of baking that I have ever tried making savoury ones...

To me, it has always been, muffins = sweet, never savoury...and I am too overly concerned with whether my family members would be able to accept the taste. I even made myself worry with what to serve alongside a batch of savoury muffins...soup, salad?? These mental blocks were all knocked off when I finally sank my teeth into a soft, warm and buttery tuna muffin.

Thanks to the lovely post by Pook of Dailydelicious, her Tuna Muffins made me wanted to rushed into the kitchen to make myself some right away. I am always very inspired by her elegant pastries and mouth watering desserts....however, most of the time I failed to pick up the courage to try her recipes. I really doubt I could make anything close. But, this time, her savoury muffins look easy enough for me, and most important of all, my kids like tuna. At least, I know there is no danger of me having to end up eating all the muffins on my own ;)

As expected, these savoury muffins I made are miles apart from those by Dailydelicious. Nevertheless, the recipe yielded some really awesome muffins I have ever tasted. Other than taking the liberty to add in some sweet corns, I followed her recipe to a T.

I started preparing the ingredients just one hour before breakfast time. My table was already set when the muffins were almost done. I took them straight from the oven to the breakfast table and had to keep reminding the rest at the table to be patient, to leave the muffins to cool off a little.

My initial concerns were unfounded, these muffins were better than I could have ever imagined. I was filled with a great sense of satisfaction as I devoured a freshly baked muffin, every mouthful was a delight! I love the tiny hint of crisp on the crust lending a contrast to the soft, very fine, cake like crumbs. Surprisingly, they didn't leave a greasy after taste at all even thought they were made with the creaming method. I tried one later in the afternoon, eaten cold, it tasted just as good, I had no issues with the muffins turning dry. I warmed the leftovers the next day and they tasted just like freshly baked. Now, the only downside is, not everyone in the family is as receptive, guess I'll have to make these more often to get everyone to acquire the taste :)




Tuna and Sweet Corn Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes about 8~9 muffins)

60g tuna chunk (I used canned tuna chunk in water)
50g sweet corns kernels
half of a medium-size yellow onion (finely chopped)
some vegetable oil

180g cake flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
80g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
25g granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly grounded black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
120g milk

some parsley flakes (optional)

Method:

1. Saute chopped onion with some vegetable oil over medium to low heat until the onion turns soft and translucent. Leave to cool.
2. Drain tuna, break into smaller pieces with a fork, set aside. If using frozen sweet corns, thaw, wash and drain, set aside.
3. Sieve together cake flour and baking powder, set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, salt and pepper until light and fluffy (I used a manual whisk). Add in the egg gradually, beat well after each addition. 
5. Add half of the flour mixture, fold with a spatula to combine. Add half of the milk, fold to combine. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, fold to combine, followed by the rest of the milk.
6. Add the rest of the flour with the tuna, onion and sweet corn kernels, fold to combine
7. Spoon batter into paper cups or muffin pans lined with paper liners. Sprinkle parsley flakes over the top (optional).
8. Bake at 180degC for 18 ~ 20mins or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note the muffins will only be very lightly browned due to the small amount of sugar used.) Best served hot or warm from the oven.

Recipe source: from Dailydelicious

happiness comes from...

These blueberry crumbles muffins were not on my latest to-do list...but I made them anyway...just to use up the leftover crumble toppings, and some very sour blueberries from the apple and blueberry crumbles I made earlier.

I used to think that it is best not to do any baking if I were on a foul mood. Anything that shouldn't go wrong, would go wrong. However, these blueberry muffins accented with orange zest, proved me wrong. The entire process from preparing the batter to putting the muffins into the oven was rather therapeutic. My mind was very focus, calm, and I was able to shut away all the unhappy thoughts. Everything turned out well and the muffins rose beautifully in the oven. The lovely domed crumble toppings made them looked like little cups of popcorns baking away in the oven. My mood lifted up right away...

I baked these ordinary, everyday muffins in these less ordinary, but very pretty paper cups that VB, my cyberfriend mailed to me recently. Thanks VB, for showering me endlessly with beautiful paper liners, cookies bags, cake boxes, etc, etc, etc. Just looking at the muffins made me feel happy, baking is the best therapy for me.

Do you know that foods that are high in carbohydrates increase the production of serotonin in the brain and have a temporarily calming effect on the mind and body? Probably that is why there was something comforting about sinking my teeth into one of these warm, freshly baked muffins. Those soft and fluffy crumbs was no doubt an instant mood lifter.


Besides making a batch of muffins, happiness also comes from sharing and receiving...

I feel so honoured to receive two awards from fellow bloggers recently.

The first award is thefrom Yummy Bakes! 

'Liebster' means favourite or dearest in German. 

Here are some rules for accepting the award:
Thank the person who gave the award and link back to their blog.
- Copy and paste the award to your blog.
- Reveal the 5 blogs you have chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blog.
- Hope they pass it forward by accepting and awarding it to bloggers they would like to honour.
So, here are the five blogs that I would to share this award with:
Dailydelicious
Eat and Be Happy
Køkken69
Min's Blog
The Sweet Spot

I received The Versatile Blogger award from Precious Moments, thanks Edith! To carry on, I am following it to the following bloggers. Please do accept this award and forward it to 10 other blogger friends of your choice.

Angie's Recipes
Blessed Homemaker
Cook With No Books
Cosy Bake
Cuisine Paradise
Elinluv's Tidbits Corner
Epicurean Escapism
Fong's Kitchen Journal
Happybowl
The Weekend Epicurean

To the rest of you who always make it a point to drop by this humble blog of mine, and especially those who care to take the time and effort to pen down their thoughts and comments here, I will really love to share my muffins with you, but before the day comes when we could literally pick up anything from our screens, I can only share the recipe here, if you ever happens to try it, I hope they are able to bring you much joy and happiness.



Blueberry Crumble Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 12 regular size muffins)

for the crumble toppings
40g cake flour
40g almond powder (grounded almond)
40g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
30g caster sugar
25g walnuts, coarsely chopped

for the muffin batter:
240ml plain yogurt (regular or low fat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
60ml canola or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest from 1 orange
260g plain flour
100g granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g fresh or frozen blueberries

Method:

1. For crumble toppings: Place flour, almond powder, sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cold butter. With a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs (or use fingertips to rub in the butter). Add in the chopped walnuts, toss to combine. (Note: leave to chill in fridge if not used immediately.)
2. For muffin batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lightly beaten egg, oil, vanilla extract and orange zest, until just combined.
3. Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and whisk to combine.
4. Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss it with the blueberries (Note: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them).
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). Gently stir in the blueberries. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
6. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full (Note: I transfer all the batter into a clear plastic bag. Snip away the corner of the bag to make a hole, large enough for the blueberries to pass through, and use it like a piping bag to fill the paper cups).
7. Top each muffin cup with 1 tablespoon of the crumble toppings. 
8. Bake in preheated oven at 190degC for about 20 - 25mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from Joy of Baking.

baking away from home

(the photos in this post appear faded and washed out, which is intentional...)

Nothing beats a nice, warm homemade muffin over a cup of hot coffee, especially in a cold, wintery afternoon.

These banana raisins muffins are the very first bakes I made in the tiny kitchen of this small service apartment that we will be staying for the next few weeks. The kitchen area is not more than 1.5m by 1.5m, but it is very well equipped. Besides the basic utensils, there is even a spatula and a stylish balloon whisk.

Knowing that I will miss baking for the entire period that we are away, I brought along my digital weighing scale, a small pack of caster sugar, and at the very last minute I stuff in a pack of flour into my luggage, just in case. I had reminded myself to bring along some disposable foil pans but had totally forgotten about muffin cups. Luckily, I manage to get some while shopping for groceries here, if not, I am sure my cyberfriend, VB would be more than eager to dispatch some over to me ;)

I have on hand some very rippped bananas, a small pack of raisins, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, flour and baking powder. With just a few strokes, these basic ingredients was magically transformed into a batch of soft and fluffy muffins. I stood by the oven to watch how the muffins ballooned and domed…at the same time letting myself engulfed in the wonderful sweet aroma of banana muffins baking in the oven.

The oven in the apartment didn't disappoint me. I really like how these muffins turn out…the crust is a little crisp, yet the centre is very soft and moist. One of the simplest pleasures in my life…is to be able to sink my teeth into a delicious medley of fluffy crumbs, tiny chunks of bananas and sweet, plumped raisins. A simple cake is all I need to keep me very happy the whole day :)


Banana Raisin Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 7 muffins)

50g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten (about 50g without shells)
50g vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 large over ripped bananas, roughly mashed (about 210g)
150g cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
50g raisins

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 180degC.
2. Soak raisins with some water or orange juice for about 10-15mins. Drain and pat dry. Lightly coat with a teaspoon of flour (extra), remove any excess flour.
3. Sieve flour and baking powder, set aside.
4. Roughly mash bananas with a fork.
5. Place sugar, eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk to combine.
6. Add in oil, whisk to combine.
7. Add in mashed banana, stir with a spatula to combine.
8. Sieve over flour mixture, stir with spatula until just incorporated. DO NOT Overmix. The batter should appear lumpy.
9. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill to ¾ full.
10. Bake at 180degC for 25mins until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack, leave to cool completely.

just two bowls

It seems like my learning curve is quite flat...and very likely it will remain that way for sometime...

I have started baking 4 years ago...yet, I couldn't move too far away from simple bakes such as muffins and cookies. Many fellow home bakers who began their baking journey way after me are already displaying baking skills...in my opinion, which has already surpassed or at least equivalent to professional pastry chefs! They never failed to wow me with challenging bakes such as those lovely French macaroons, delicious choux puff pastry, gorgeous layered cakes, dainty desserts, fondant sugarcraft, and even challenging breads such as sourdough.

Me being a rather conservative (a better word for 'kiasee'...a Singlish term which means 'afraid to die') person, is not always willing to take up baking challenges. My fear of failure is the greatest stumbling block. I know, to avoid kitchen failures I should equip myself with the necessary knowledge and skills, which I should acquire by learning from professional bakers. In the past, I like to use the excuse of not being able to find time to attend baking classes...but now, with more free time on hand, I still couldn't make myself sign up for any baking course. The thought of going for lessons on specific time on a periodic basis, just, puts me off. With this kind of mentality, I wonder when I am able to accelerate my learning pace?

So, in the mean time, I hope you won't get too bored reading post after post on simple bakes on this blog space. I am not being humble, I did get a comment sometime back that I am getting boring (^_^''')

The subject of this post is none other than this batch of 'Two Bowls' Chocolate Chips Muffins. As the name suggests, these moist chocolaty treats are made using just two bowls. One for mixing up the wet ingredients, the other for the dry ones. The content inside the 'wet' bowl is then dumped into the 'dry' bowl, with a few quick stirs, the batter is ready for baking. I bet a 10 year old will be able to make this with little supervision.

I modified the original recipe a little...basically the fat used. The original recipe calls for melted butter, but I was too lazy to even melt some butter, so I simply substituted it with olive oil. There is not much difference between the two types of fat...even there is, I believe it is going to be quite subtle. Butter will definitely enhance the taste...I am sure the muffins will smell better when they were baking...but oil wins by being able to keep them moist.

My younger child has been craving for something as chocolaty and rich as brownies...but a really good tray of brownies has got too much fat and sugar, despite his constant pleadings, I would only bake them on special occasions. In order to fool the boy to eat my bakes, I replaced some of the plain flour with cocoa powder...so as to make these muffins look close enough to be the slightly healthier cousin of the brownies :)

I made these muffins on a weekday night...while they were still hot to the touch, my kids wouldn't even wait for them to cool off. I was surprised that they couldn't stop at just one...the chocolaty and moist crumbs certainly appealed to their taste buds.

My cyberfriend, VB once asked me how I usually eat my muffins...do I strip off the paper liners or do I use a spoon to scoop it from the muffin cups? Well, my kids always eat it with a spoon, as for me, I usually rid off the paper liners. For these muffins, I had to use a spoon to dig in...just because these sweet little paper souffle cups are so sturdy that I had problem trying to pull them apart ;)

So, if I may ask, how do you usually eat your muffins?





Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 12 small muffins)

235g plain flour
15g cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
50g mini dark chocolate chips
1 large egg, lightly beaten
60ml olive oil or any vegetable oil
175ml milk (I used low fat fresh milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g granulated sugar*

*note: use 125g if you prefer it to be sweeter, original recipe calls for 150g sugar.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degC.


2. Sieve together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Make a well in the centre.


3. Place egg, oil, milk, vanilla extract and sugar in another bowl. Mix (with a manual whisk) until thoroughly combined.


4. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. With a spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Just mix until the flour are incorporate into the batter. DO NOT Over mix. The batter should appear lumpy.


5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups to about 3/4 full. Bake for 15~20mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

Recipe source: adapted from Bread baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno

back to the trail head

I am gonna take a huge step back in time...

...that is, back to the trail head of my baking journey.

With a newly acquired oven and a short break from baking, I will have to go back to the beginning, following the trail that I have left behind since I last embarked on my baking journey. I will start from the very basic, moving one step at a time, hopefully by doing so, I am able to learn and re-learn some of the things that I have picked up over the past few years. I wish I could also move out of my comfort zone, be a little more adventurous in trying out new recipes; be brave enough to challenge more advanced techniques, especially those which make my knees wobble before I even got through reading the first three steps of the instructions.

As I move from one milestone to another...making quick breads, cookies before progressing to layered cakes and bread making, I am certain I would take side steps along the way. It is hard to fight off the temptation to replicate mouth-watering desserts that appeared on my screen each time I visit a food blog, it certainly doesn't help that I am a loyal follower to a long list of favourite food bloggers. Thanks to them, they are my daily sources of inspirations, my teachers :)

So here I am, back to the basic...my first batch of muffins right out of my oven.

Muffins are one of the first few 'cakes' I learned to bake from cookbooks and online baking sites.  I could still remember reading up on how to achieve the perfect high-domed muffins. Not only are muffins simple and quick to put together, they are also very forgiving and highly adaptable. As long as you stick to some of the fundamental baking rules, you can always play around with the ingredients.

These Mixed Berries Muffins are unique to my baking repertoire though. They are made using the 'creaming method' instead of the usual 'muffin method' which I am more comfortable with. The process of making these muffins is not very different from making cupcakes or butter cakes, where you beat butter and sugar together before adding eggs, milk and fold in the flour to form the batter. 

I baked them using the top and bottom heat function of my Bosch oven. The muffins were baked to a nice golden brown when the cooking time was up. It is great that my new oven comes with a digital timer. The oven will not turn off when the timer beeps. Which is what I prefer. Baking time stated in recipes serves as a guide only, everyone's oven works differently, so we may need to either remove the cake earlier from the oven or leave it to bake a minute or two longer. The oven function is not as limited as it seems. It actually allows you to set it in such a way that you could let it turn on or/and turn off automatically at a specific time, I find this very useful for heating up food or using if to cook food where cooking time is not that critical.

I must confess, although I very much prefer muffins that are made using the muffin method, these are by far the most flavorsome muffins I have ever made. The crumbs are soft, fluffy and buttery, if not for the berries, they taste just like their pretty cupcake cousins. I have lost my sweet tooth totally, even though I had taken the liberty to cut down on the sugar amount, I still find them a little on the sweet side. My children have no complains though.  These little cuppies will go very well with a cup of hot tea...be it on a late morning or a lazy afternoon.

Would you care to join me on my baking trail?


Mixed Berries Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 8 muffins)

110g unsalted butter, soften @ room temperature
50g caster sugar (original recipe calls for 60g)
50g light brown sugar (original recipe calls for 60g)
1 1/2 eggs (large), lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
40ml milk
160g plain flour ((original recipe calls for 140g flour, 20g almond powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g blueberries
100g strawberries (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and drain blueberries and strawberries. Cut strawberries into small chunks. Dry berries with paper towels and toss them in 1~2 teaspoons of flour(extra). Set aside.


2. Sieve together flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside.


3. With an electric whisk, cream butter with sugar till the mixture turns pale, light and fluffy.


4. Dribble in the eggs gradually and beat till incorporated in the batter.


5. Add vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.


6. Add milk followed by two tablespoons of the flour mixture in Step 2. (The flour mixture is added to prevent the batter from curdling when the milk is added.) Whisk to combine.


7. Sieve over remaining flour mixture and add in the berries. With a spatula fold the mixture until the flour is just incorporate into the batter. DO NOT over mix. The batter should be thick and not thin and runny.


8. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180degC for 25~30 min until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe source: adapted from 初试身手做甜点, 信太康代

pages from my 'recipe book'

Recipe source: courtesy of dailydelicious. Thanks Pook for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

Classic Blueberry Muffins

Last weekend, I bought punets of blueberries which were on a great discount. They were just under two dollars for a pack. I once bought a batch...which was also on sales (no surprises, I only get blueberries when they are on sale), they tasted horribly tangy and most of the berries were miserably tiny. This latest batch is really value for money. The berries are very fresh...firm, plump and covered with this whitish bloom...the natural shimmery silver coating which protects them against the sun...a sign of freshness. Most importantly, they are sweet! Maybe the origin counts? These are from Oregon. Or could it be that fruits that are bought when they are in seasons would naturally taste better?


I used up one pack to make these classic blueberry muffins. They are wonderful breakfast treats for our family. These are so simple to make that my younger child did almost 90% of the work. I did the remaining 20%...the additional 10% was the extra effort needed to clean up the mess he created during the preparation. I should have taken a video clip on the way he 'cracked' the egg...it was almost like performing a magic trick ^-^ I couldn't spot a single bit of egg shell in the bowl and that was despite the fact that he unceremoniously squashed the egg shell with his hands!


During those earlier days when I first started out baking, I was always seeking for the secrets to making muffins that could rise high and mighty upon baking. It was much later that I finally discovered the techniques behind, upon reading this online article "The Secrets of the Dome" (the title sounds so Harry Potter!) I have since tried out all the three tips mentioned in the article:

1. fill the muffin cups to the brim;
2. use a recipe that yields fairly thick batter;
3. bake the muffins at a very high temperature of about 210 degC for the initial few minutes.

The first tip is real easy to accomplish and it works! The second one will depend on luck...I have came across muffin batters which is very runny and I ended up with very flat muffins. I have long since given up on the third one. The problem lies mainly with my oven...the temperature is almost beyond my control. Yes, I can easily preheat the oven to 210 degC, but I have no control over what the final temperature will be if I were to turn it down to 180 degC after 8 mins. It could easily drop all the way to 150 degC ;(

For the mixing of the batter, I prefer to adopt the 'muffin-method'. I find this method much easier and usually less fat is required as compared to muffins made by the 'creaming-method'. I also prefer the texture of muffins made with the muffin-method. Somehow it gives me a more wholesome, 'breakfast' feel as compared to those using the creaming-method which tends to yield more cupcake-like crumbs. I must add, these muffins will only taste good when they are served warm...either eat them fresh or heat them up again before serving.

I hope I'm able to post another blueberry breakfast treat soon ;)


Classic Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 12 small muffins)

250g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
60ml vegetable oil
175ml milk
125g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g (about 1 cup) blueberries

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180degC (350 degF).
2. Wash and drain blueberries. Dry with paper towels and toss them in a tablespoon of flour.
3. Place egg, oil, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. With a manual whisk, whisk until thoroughly combined.
4. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
5. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. With a spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Mix until the flour is just incorporate into the batter. Add the blueberries and fold in gently. DO NOT over mix. The batter should appear lumpy.
6. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups. Bake for 15~20mins until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe source: adapted from Bread baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno

Banana & Chocolate Muffins

It was a weekday evening. While I was washing the dishes right after dinner, it occurred to me that I have not prepared anything for breakfast for the next day. There were no homemade cakes or bread and I would rather stay at home than to step out of the house to get a loaf of bread from the neighbourhood bakery shop, which is just a stone's throw away. The only way out was to bake something quick and easy. I guess nothing beats a batch of muffins when you are running short of time.


I checked the ingredients I have on hand and managed to match the list with those found in this recipe for a batch of Banana & Chocolate Muffins. The recipe calls for chopped plain chocolates, I replaced them with chocolate chips as I rather save the chocolates for baking a cake or to use it to make chocolate ganache. The recipe calls for self-raising flour, and since I didn't have that, I substituted it with a mixture of plain flour, baking powder and salt.

When I was all set to begin my baking session, my younger child came to the kitchen. When he saw me getting busy with the preparation of the ingredients, as usual, he offered to help me. Unlike his elder brother, he always doesn't seem to mind dropping whatever he was doing, just so he could have some fun playing with flour, butter and eggs. I got him to mash up the bananas while I measured the other ingredients. He found immense pleasure in adding, pouring ingredients into the mixing bowl and eventually stirring them, even if he was only allowed to give a few strokes. Without fail, he asked whether he could do the final mixing of the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Since he was so enthusiastic, I told him he could do all the stirring this time. While he was half way into the mixing, I thought I should capture the moment on video. I got him to pause for a second, while I dashed off to grab my camera.

Here's a very short video clip of him mixing the muffin batter...as the batter got more and more heavy for him to stir, I took over to finish up the job. In case you ask, it was my elder boy who taught me how to use Window's Movie Maker to do the editing of the video clip. Otherwise I wouldn't even know the existence of such a software.

As you can see from the video, I stopped mixing once the flour mixture disappeared into the batter. The batter was very thick and lumpy. To get very soft and fluffy muffins, it is very important not to over stir the mixture...this is especially so for recipes when the instruction calls for mixing the wet ingredients to the dry ones.


Very soon, we were rewarded with ten sweet-smelling, beautifully domed muffins. While the muffins were cooling off, my little one kept asking when he could eat the muffin. He had earlier devoured a banana and a bar of Kit Kat while the muffins were in the oven, and yet he couldn't wait to lay his hands on the muffins. Once I gave the go ahead, he sat down alone at the dinner table and enjoyed the freshly baked muffin he made.

The muffins tasted really delicious when they were fresh out of the oven. The texture was all moist and fluffy. I cut down on the amount of sugar and the sweetness was just right. The photos of the muffins were taken a day after, I think it didn't capture the soft and fluffy crumbs that well. Nevertheless, they tasted as good when served warm. This recipe is going to be a keeper.


Banana & Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 10 ~ 12 muffins)

275g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, about 450g
100g brown sugar (original recipe calls for 125g brown caster sugar)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
50ml semi-skimmed milk (I used low fat fresh milk)
75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
50g chocolate chips

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180degC (350 degF). Line muffin pans with paper muffin cases.
2. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. Peel the bananas and mash with a fork in a bowl. Add in brown sugar, egg, milk and melted butter. Mix until well combined.
4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Stir gently, using only a few strokes and mix until the flour are incorporate into the batter. DO NOT Over mix. The batter should appear lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cases. Bake for 20mins until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Recipe source: adapted from Good Housekeeping - Easy to Make! Cakes & Bakes.

For the Love of Muffins

I love baking muffins, and nothing beats having a homemade muffin over a cup of hot coffee for breakfast!

Whenever I need to bake something quick and easy, muffins would always be the number one choice. It is also a great way to use up whatever ingredients before the expiry date ;)


I made this batch of yummy muffins following a recipe which is meant for a chocolate chips & crumble muffins. Instead of chocolate chips I replaced it with some left over peanut butter chips. I was quite happy with how the muffins turned out, it was worth the little extra effort required to make the chocolate crumble toppings.


I was quite pleased with the series of photos I took too :) No, I am not referring to the sharpness, the colour and exposure of the images...they failed very badly in these areas. The only thing I liked about the photos was that they were able to capture how 'voluptuous' these 'mountain-high' muffins turned out when I took them out of the oven ;)

By the way, did you know that there were actually three muffins in the above image?


This recipe calls for rubbing in the butter to flour instead of the usual way of using melted butter or creaming butter with sugar. The resulting batter was rather watery as compared to the usual thick and gooey mixture which I was more familiar with. I filled a few of the muffins cups almost to the brim (I used only 10 muffin cups instead of the recommended 12), as such a couple of them had batter spilled over the cups...looking not too different from a volcanic eruption!


I had some difficulty rubbing in the butter while making the chocolate crumbles...I guess the flour was too little for the amount of butter used. Most of the crumbles were really huge!


This recipe yields soft and fluffy muffins, although they were not as moist as what I would expect. The peanut butter chips and the chocolate crumbles really enhanced the texture and flavour of the muffins. I love the slightly crisp crust most :)



Peanut Butter Chips Crumble Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 12)

250g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
50g butter
100g soft light brown sugar
150g peanut butter chips or chocolate chips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225ml milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the Chocolate Crumble Topping:
50g plain flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
40g butter
2 tablespoons caster sugar


Method

1. For the chocolate crumble topping, sift flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Mix in the sugar and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the peanut butter chips.
3. In another bowl, mix eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mixture all at once into the dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until just combined. Do Not Over Mix. The batter should remain lumpy.
4. Fill paper muffin cups with batter sprinkle with the crumble toppings. Bake in a preheated oven at 200degC for 18-20mins, or until well risen and firm to the touch. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from Muffins Galore, Catherine Atkinson

Oreo Muffins with Peanut Butter Chips

I bought a pack of buttermilk recently and used it on 3 separate occasions.

I first made a batch of buttermilk muffins following a recipe I copied from a magazine.


I replaced the chocolate chips with Reese's peanut butter chips...I finally chanced upon these at Cold Storage (Vivo city) a couple of months back...and I have been saving them just for this recipe! Knowing that the use of buttermilk will make bakes very tender, I had very high expectations for these muffins...plus the fact that the recipe was contributed by a local bakeshop and muffins are their speciality. So you would imagine how disappointed I was when the muffins didn't turn out as expected. They were slightly dry, even fresh out of the oven :(

Next, I tried making some buttermilk biscuits...hoping that I could yield a batch of nice, buttery biscuits just like those from Popeye's or Mcdonalds. It turned out to be a complete flop...they looked and tasted more like dinner rolls instead! I read that buttermilk biscuits are supposed to be very easy to make...but it proof to be a great challenge for me to cut out the sticky dough into rounds. I guess I have to read up more on these before my next attempt.

On the last day before the leftover buttermilk expires, I managed to squeeze in sometime to bake these Oreo muffins...


We actually came up with this recipe over a cup of Oreo Mcflurry! When we got home, I retrieved this very much trusted muffin recipe and adapted it according to my family members' wish list. I replaced the milk with buttermilk, and added in crushed oreo cookies and the peanut butter chips. I did noticed that the recipe calls for baking soda...which goes hand in hand with buttermilk. The original recipe calls for melted butter...since I was short of time to melt and let the butter cool off, I replaced it with sunflower oil.


These muffins didn't look very pleasing due to the crushed oreos. Nevertheless, they tasted very delicious...moist and fluffy. Not only were they soft and tender, they were also packed with flavours...you can't go wrong with peanut butter chips and oreos?!


It was only while trying to compose this post that I learned from the joyofbaking site, that, besides buttermilk, using oil instead of butter will yield very tender muffins...as oil prevents the development of gluten in the flour.

If you were to ask me how I would rate these muffins...I would say these are the sort of muffins I can give away with confidence to my friends...of course, provided they like Both oreos and peanut butter ;)



Ingredients:
(makes 12 muffins)

250g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g Reese's peanut butter chips
8 oreo sandwich cookies (remove fillings, coarsely chopped)
1 egg, lightly beaten
60ml vegetable oil
175ml buttermilk
125g granulated sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180degC (350 degF).


2. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Add peanut butter chips, crushed oreo biscuits and mix with a spatula. Make a well in the centre.


3. Place egg, oil, buttermilk and sugar in another bowl. Mix (with a manual whisk) until thoroughly combined.


4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. With the spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Just mix until the flour are incorporate into the batter. DO NOT Over mix. The batter will appear lumpy.


5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups. Bake for 20mins until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.


6. Let cool on a wire rack.

Recipe source: adapted from Bread baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno

Cranberry, Orange & Chocolate Chips Muffins

Since the beginning of the year, with the new set of daily routines, I am finding it more and more difficult to spend time on baking or blogging :(

It was with some luck that I managed to squeeze in some time last week to bake a batch of muffins. I adapted the recipe for the raisins & chocolate chips muffins and turned it into these Cranberry Orange & Chocolate chips muffins. A great way to use up those little packs of dried cranberries or craisins that I have bought several weeks ago.

The muffins were baked almost to a perfection...what I mean is, that my oven took the same recommended time to get the muffins all beautifully browned. With the help of a oven thermometer, I had let the oven preheated slightly above the required temperature...so by the time the muffins were in the oven, the temperature dropped to the desired level at 180degC.

I liked the way the muffins were all cracked nicely on top...and they tasted fabulous...very fluffy and moist...despite the fact that there's no yoghurt or buttermilk used in this recipe. The craisins and orange combo went every well together too. The only thing that I can find fault with these muffins is that they were a little on the sweet side for me...all due to the white chocolate chips that I have used! Next time I will either cut down on the sugar, or used dark chocolate chips instead.

Ingredients:
(makes 8 muffins)

60g unsalted butter, melted
zest of 1 orange
250g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (white or dark)
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 egg, lightly beaten
125ml milk
50ml orange juice
125g granulated sugar (original recipe calls for 150g sugar)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180degC (350 degF).


2. Melt butter in a saucepan, over low heat, set aside to cool.


3. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.


4. Add chocolate chips, craisins, orange zest and mix with a spatula. Make a well in the centre.


5. Place egg, melted butter, milk, orange juice and sugar in another bowl. Mix (with a manual whisk) until thoroughly combined. (To cut down on washing up, I mixed these ingredients into the saucepan which I used to melt the butter).


6. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour. With the spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Just mix until the flour are incorporate into the batter. DO NOT Over mix. The batter will appear lumpy.


7. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups. Bake for 15~20mins until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.


8. Let cool on a wire rack.

Recipe source: adapted from Bread baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno

'Egg less' Raisins & Chocolate Chips Muffins

Woke up early this Sunday morning just to make this batch of Raisins & Chocolate Chips Muffins. I thought they look lovely, with the nice golden, slightly crackly domes. You would probably not believe that these muffins were made with a major flaw! I have forgotten to add in one important ingredient :'p


Last evening, I went to a nearby convenient store, with the intention of getting a loaf of bread for our breakfast this morning. As it was already quite late, our usual brand/flavour bread was already sold out. The other loaves left on the shelf didn't look appealing to me. I decided on the spot that I should make some muffins first thing in the morning. So, just before bedtime, I scanned through various cookbooks to look for a suitable recipe. I got nothing from the book "Muffin Bible" and not a single appropriate recipe from the book "500 cupcakes & muffins" as well. Finally, I reached out for a book on bread making, and I found 'the' muffin recipe! It is meant for a Cranberry Nut Loaf, but it can be adapted for Cranberry Nut muffins, Blueberry Nut muffins, and even turned into a Banana loaf. I went to bed thinking that since it is such a versatile recipe, I thought I could use it as a base and add in some left over raisins and chocolate chips.



This morning, my little one woke up as early as me, and as usual, he offered to help me with the baking, while his brother was still 'frozen'(a term my younger one likes to use) in deep sleep ;)

He helped me with the sieving and mixing of the raisins and chocolate chips. All went well until we started to prepare the wet ingredients. I added the sugar into the melted butter and got him to stir it with a manual whisk. The mixture became lumpy. So I though I should add in the milk right away, and maybe the problem could be solved. No, it didn't help, I had to take over the stirring, but there were still many small lumps in the mixture. I had no choice but to pour it into the dry ingredients, hoping things would work out on its own. Fortunately, the liquid mixture was incorporated into the batter with just a few gentle folding, though I did noticed that the batter was on the dry side. It was only after I put the muffins into the oven, then I noticed that the egg was still sitting on the counter!! It was already too late, I simply couldn't do anything about it. I left the muffins to bake in the oven, wondering how rubbery or rock hard the texture would be without the egg. Believe it or not, this is the very first time, I have ever forgotten to add in any ingredients in my baking session! I was really depressed!


The muffins took a little longer than the recommended time to bake. Initially I thought they would never rise, but to my surprise, a nice dome was formed on each of the muffins. I couldn't wait to test it, while it was still pipping hot, I took one bite and was soooo relieved that this egg-less muffin tasted as good as the usual muffins I have made. The texture was surprisingly very soft and fluffy! The sweetness is just right, and the raisins and chocolates made it even more delicious! I was so pleased with the result and it lifted up my spirits instantly!

My elder boy woke up just in time for his breakfast and we had a wonderful, hearty breakfast on this lovely Sunday morning =)


Ingredients:
(makes 8 muffins)

250g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg, beaten (I have forgotten to add in!)
60g unsalted butter, melted
175ml milk (I used low-fat fresh milk)
150g granulated sugar (I reduced it to 125g sugar)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180degC (350 degF).
2. Melt butter in a saucepan, over low heat, set aside to cool.
3. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
4. Add chocolate chips, raisins and mix with a spatula. Make a well in the centre.
5. Place egg, melted butter, milk and sugar in another bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. (To cut down on washing up, I mixed these ingredients into the saucepan which I used to melt the butter).
6. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour. With the spatula, gently fold all the ingredients to form a wet batter. Just mix until the flour are incorporate into the batter. DO NOT Over mix.
7. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups. Bake for 15~20mins (mine took almost 25mins) until muffins turn golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Let cool on a wire rack.

Recipe source: adapted from Bread baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno