I have always been a fan of short blog posts. Personally, whenever I am looking for a recipe I am usually on a mission – T-Minus x amount of minutes until the perfect recipe is found.
I favour the blogs that cut to the chase and give me the goods. Which is not to say I do not appreciate what is written, or the time it took, I am just likely to hit ‘back’ if I have to scroll for what feels like an eternity down the page.
Even though muffins are perceived by some as being nothing more than ‘ugly’ cupcakes, or cupcakes without the fancy hat, I still love them. There is a small spot to the left of my heart that I have reserved just for muffins, whether they be sweet muffins or savoury muffins. Jumbo muffins or mini muffins. Or just good ol’ regular muffins.
I just love them. We go way back.
There really is not much left for me to say about muffins, so I shall just stop here…
Carrot cake. An old classic that has always been popular with my taste buds and those of many others. Not too long ago I attempted to make a carrot cake and this time I made sure not to accidentally replace the flour with icing sugar… what a delicious yet very messy mistake that had turned out to be. Unfortunately the oven I have to use is as old as I am fair skinned, and it just could not handle the task of baking my cake throughout. So I decided that perhaps muffins would be the best way to go when getting my carrot cake fix.
I have to admit that muffins are quite possibly one of my favourites; the flavour combinations that you can have are just endless. Whether it be sweet or savoury, a well-made muffin hits the spot like no other.
As an ‘aspiring’ baker, I always try to take a recipe and add my own little twist so as to be able to claim it as my own. In this instance, I took a basic muffin recipe and added the zest of a lemon and a surprise raspberry jam centre.
As a young ginger kid with an often toothless grin (apparently I really liked running into parked cars although I have no recollection of this), I always enjoyed helping my mother whenever she baked.
This was, of course, just so I could be bestowed the honour of licking the bowl clean, although I do attribute this willingness to help as a source of inspiration for my own baking pursuits.
This following recipe was always a favourite and no one could make it as well as my mother could, not that it would stop me from trying! The crunchy glaze is the perfect complement to this soft and awesomely zesty muffin. Yum. (Note: 1 cup = 1 US cup)
When making these for the first time, I made the mistake of using almond essence.
Fortunately it was enough of an experience that I can guarantee this mistake will not be happening again.
Ever.
Almond essence is foul, there really is no other word to describe it. I will definitely be sticking to ground almonds in the future, and have therefore adjusted the quantity in this recipe to accommodate for the since banished essence.
Blueberries are a delicious little berry and everyone loves to bake with them. One only has to do a quick search to see there are thousands of recipes that show up, even just for muffins alone. So you know you must be on to a good thing when you have a punnet of fresh blueberries on hand all the ingredients you need for some tasty muffins. (Note: 1 cup = 1 US cup)
In need of coffee but with a desire to bake, I took to the internets in search of a recipe that would satisfy in all ways.
With coffee and two kinds of chocolate, it was clear at first glance that the one below ticked all the boxes. Whilst it was probably not the most nutritional start to my day, it was certainly one of the more delicious ones that I can remember.
These would be perfect as a little morning or afternoon pick-me-up. Though who could turn down a muffin as delicious as these at any point throughout the day? (Note: 1 cup = 1 US cup)