The Southwest Monsoons have hit the city bringing respite from the heat with sudden thunderstorms. And as thankful one is for the change, wading through poorly drained roads early in the morning to get to work while contending the relentless pouring from above can get a little testy.
It’s cold too. All you want is to stay buried under the layers, and have someone hand you a warm cup of coffee. No such luck however, it’s Monday. And that reads for me as #MuffinMonday. So here I am, after foraging through ingredients to combine with apples I’ve have come up with almonds, raisins and cinnamon. A fine balance.
The warmth of cinnamon, the sweetness of apples and the tiny currants are just the treat to complement the weather. No matter where you are.
- Melted butter or margarine (optional), for greasing
- 300g (2 cups) plain flour
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 150g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
- 2 medium (about 375g) Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, chopped
- 125g (3/4 cup) seedless raisins
- 125g butter or margarine, melted, cooled
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 185mls (3/4 cup) milk
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. You will need 12 medium (125mls/ ½ cup) muffin pans. They are available in trays of either 6 or 12. Non-stick muffin pans are wonderful to use as they don’t need greasing. If you aren’t using non-stick pans, brush the pans with the melted butter or margarine to lightly grease. Alternatively, line the pans with paper muffin cases.
- Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl. The baking powder acts as a raising agent and will help give the muffins a light texture. Stir in the brown sugar, apples and raisins until well combined.
- Whisk together the butter or margarine, eggs and milk until well combined. Blending the wet ingredients before adding them to the flour mixture makes it easier to evenly combine the two.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large metal spoon until just combined. It is important that the ingredients are only just combined. If the mixture is over-mixed, the cooked muffins will have a tough texture.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans and top with chopped almonds.
- Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. To test if they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one – if it comes out clean, it is ready If not, cook for a little longer before testing again. When cooked, remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Letting them stand makes them easier to remove from the pans. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
#MuffinMonday: Round Up
Stacy | Food Lust People Love | Caramel Apple Bacon Muffins
Happy Baking!
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