Banana & Toffee Muffins

Makes 12

75g/3oz melted butter
250g/9oz self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
115g/4oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large, ripe bananas
Lemon Juice
2 medium eggs
125ml/4fl oz milk
Toffee desert topping

Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Melt the butter and allow to cool.

Mash two of the bananas together, with a little lemon juice.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.

With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.

Set paper cases into the moulds,  and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Sprinkle the remaining Banana, that has been sliced

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes.

Make a hole in each muffin with a skewer and squeeze in a small amount of the toffee sauce. Then serve

Chocolate Fudge Muffins

Makes 12

275g Plain Flour
1 level tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
75g Caster sugar
225ml milk
110g Butter, melted, cooled slightly
4 level tablespoons cocoa powder
6 Chocolate Fudge fingers, chopped

Preheat oven to Gas mark 6, 400F 200C, and prepare muffin tin by lining with cases.

Take a large bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and the salt. Then add in half of the coarsely chopped chocolate

Then in a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, milk, and melted butter

Add the wet liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in quickly. Over mixing makes muffins heavy.

Divide mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling each case about 3/4 full and sprinkle on the remaining chopped chocolate.

Bake on a high shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are well risen and brown.

Lemon Drizzle Muffins

When I came to make these I realised I didn't have enough lemons, but had some limes, so I used lemons and limes together, and instead of natural yogurt, I replaced it with Activia fat free Vanilla yogurt, I used 2 x 125g pots....wonderfully light and fluffy muffins with a zingy lemon and lime flavour!

Makes 12


Ingredients

220g plain flour

125g caster sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

250g natural yoghurt

85g butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Lemon drizzle:

80ml lemon juice

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

(You will need 4 lemons for above)

1. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases.

2. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.

3. In another bowl, beat the egg, yoghurt, butter and lemon juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Take care not to overmix.

4. Fill muffin cases 2/3 full. Bake at 200 C / Gas 6 for 20-24 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

5. Cool for 5 minutes; leave muffins in tin. Using a skewer, poke 6-8 holes in each muffin.

6. In a saucepan, combine the lemon drizzle ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved, spoon over warm muffins.

Courgette and Lime Muffins

I found this recipe a few weeks back, and had been itching to give it a go, strange combinations for ingredients..but my, oh my, were they so worth baking....has to be top of my favourites!

Makes 12

For the courgette muffins:

250g courgettes (about 2-3 medium-sized)

2 large eggs

125ml vegetable oil

150g golden caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

Juice and zest of 1 lime

For the lime cream cheese icing:

200g cream cheese

100g icing sugar

Juice and zest of 1 lime

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4).
2. Grate the courgettes and leave them to drain in a sieve hung over a bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, vegetable oil and sugar and beat until well mixed and slightly fluffy. An electric whisk will make this easier, or use a food mixer if you have one.
4. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and beat together.
5. Finally, add the drained courgette and the lime juice and zest and divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases.
6. Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins or until the muffins are nicely brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
7. To make the icing, blend together the cream cheese with the icing sugar and the lime juice and spread generously over the top of each muffin. Decorate each with a few swirls of lime zest.

Toblerone Muffins

Makes 12

275g Plain Flour
1 level tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
75g Caster sugar
225ml milk
110g Butter, melted, cooled slightly
4 level tablespoons cocoa powder
3 35g bars of Toblerone, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to Gas mark 6, 400F 200C, and prepare muffin tin by lining with cases.

Take a large bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and the salt. Then add in half of the coarsely chopped chocolate

Then in a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, milk, and melted butter

Add the wet liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in quickly. Over mixing makes muffins heavy.

Divide mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling each case about 3/4 full and sprinkle on the remaining chopped chocolate.

Bake on a high shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are well risen and brown.

Mint Chocolate Muffins

Makes 12

275g Plain Flour
1 level tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
75g Caster sugar
225ml milk
110g Butter, melted, cooled slightly
1 level tablespoon cocoa powder
1 120g bar of Mint Aero, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to Gas mark 6, 400F 200C, and prepare muffin tin by lining with cases.

Take a large bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and the salt. Then add in half of the coarsely chopped chocolate

Then in a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, milk, and melted butter

Add the wet liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in quickly. Over mixing makes muffins heavy.

Divide mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling each case about 3/4 full and sprinkle on the remaining chopped chocolate.

Bake on a high shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are well risen and brown.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

Makes 12

255g flour
15ml baking powder
2.5 salt
90g white sugar
1 egg
240ml milk
5ml finely grated orange rind (one small orange)
85g melted butter
2.5 tsp orange juice from orange
chocolate chips for topping

Prepare your muffin tin and preheat oven to 200°C.
 
Sift together all the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat together the egg, milk, orange rind, orange juice and butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until no dry flour is visible. The end result is a lumpy batter.

Fill muffin cases 3 quarters full.  Bake for 20 minutes.  The tops should spring back when you press them with your finger.