Tag: muffins

Dairy-free plum muffins

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I have never loved café-bought muffins. They are often times too big, too dry, too crumbly. Not worth my money, mostly.

However, homemade muffins are a completely different story. I make muffins all the time. You can find several muffins recipes on this blog, both savoury and sweet.

Muffins made at home are popular in this household for several reasons. One, they are dead simple to make. Also, they are quick to make. Both mean that they are a very good option for filling the house with baked goods if you have unexpected company or you need something sweet to fill the packed lunchbox.

Two, once you have a standard basic recipe, they are so easy to vary to suit what you have in the fridge or pantry. Three, almost everyone is bound to like eating them.

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These plum muffins are light and fruity, and the brown sugar crust gives crunch and texture. I made a batch for some friends who visited one weekend, and we four got through almost the whole batch in one day. Not to worry, they are so easy to whip up, I could easily just make more!

These muffins are also dairy free! Also, I made these with peaches instead of plums the other day, because I couldn’t find plums and they were just as good 🙂

Dairy-free plum muffins

  • Servings: 12
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 240g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 115g brown sugar, plus 1 tbs extra for sprinkling
  • 2 plums, diced

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a muffin tray with spray oil.
  2. Whisk the olive oil, water and eggs together.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar together.
  4. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, and stir through the diced plums.
  5. Pour the mixture into the muffin tray. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with brown sugar.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean and the tops are crunchy.

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Tuna and sweetcorn frittata muffins

A simple tuna and sweetcorn muffin to ward away the munchies

I am currently posed with the problem of being at home a lot more than I have ever been, yet having less free time to cook extravagant things than I ever have before.

I decided to try out a really simple baked frittata recipe that uses a muffin tray and pantry ingredients. The result was some very cute little tuna and sweetcorn bites that have served so well as a late afternoon snack. Munching on one of these while I prepare dinner has satisfied my gnawing hunger, without filling me up for the main event. Solves the urge to eat peanut butter straight from the jar!

A simple tuna and sweetcorn muffin to ward away the munchies

They take 10 mins to put together and about the same in the oven. Definitely something I can manage on a Sunday afternoon to set me up with substantial snacks for the week.

A simple tuna and sweetcorn muffin to ward away the munchies

Tuna and sweetcorn frittata muffins

  • Servings: makes 8
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Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • 95g tuna
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • ½ cup grated cheddar
  • Zest of a lemon
  • 1 tsp dried chives

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius and grease a muffin tray using spray oil.
  2. Whisk the eggs and season them with salt and pepper.
  3. Stir through the remaining ingredients.
  4. Pour the batter into the muffin tray.
  5. Bake for 20 mins in the oven or until set. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Curry pumpkin muffins

Deliciously savoury pumpkin muffins with a hint of curry flavour

When I was at school, I overdid it with the sandwiches. Particularly the combination of ham, lettuce and mayo. I just have difficulty getting excited about a sandwich for lunch. So I like to look for other options.

I like to make batches of savoury muffins on the weekend for my work lunches (or at the moment, for my hectic weekday lunches with a baby who needs lunch too). They’re easy to heat up, filling and so moreish.

Deliciously savoury pumpkin muffins with a hint of curry flavour

I have taken inspiration from Stephanie Alexander’s recipe for Allan and Michele’s Asian-inspired Pumpkin Soup from her wonderful cookbook The Cook’s Companion and turned it into muffin form. They have just the slightest hint of curry, and are super light and fluffy. They’re the perfect texture, not too dry or crumbly and they keep well for several days in an airtight container in the fridge. Or, if you’re feeling exceptionally organised, you could freeze them for a busy day.

And they’re so easy to make! So get cracking! If you’re feeling like a sweet muffin, why not go ahead and check out my Custard and sultana muffins.

Deliciously savoury pumpkin muffins with a hint of curry flavour

Curry pumpkin muffins

  • Servings: 12
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Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 225ml milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 115g vegetable oil
  • 1 tbs Thai curry paste, red or green
  • 400g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
  • 30g mix of pepitas and sunflower seeds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a muffin tray with spray oil.
  2. Steam the pumpkin until tender (about 10-15 mins) and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
  3. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
  4. Combine the milk, eggs, oil, curry paste and pumpkin in a separate bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.
  5. Combine all of the ingredients together. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray. Sprinkle the muffins with the pepitas and sunflower seeds.
  6. Bake muffins in the oven for 30 mins or until golden on top. You will know that they are done when a skewer will come out clean when tested.

Custard and sultana muffins

Custard filled sultana muffins

You hear about women craving all sorts of weird and wonderful food combinations when they’re pregnant. I didn’t get any strange cravings, which is mildly disappointing, as I feel like I’ve been robbed of a good story! The closest I got to a ‘husband-making-a-mad-dash-to-get-pickles-from-the-shops-at-4am’ situation was a sudden desire for cucumber early one summer’s evening. I made this known to my husband, who assured me he was happy to go and get some cucumber for me, just after some household chore was done. Could I be any healthier??

However, he never went! He forgot, and to this day I don’t let him forget about it!

Custard filled sultana muffins

Saying that, during my pregnancy I did have a strong hankering for all things cold and creamy. I always doubted though how likely it was that this was pregnancy-related. I couldn’t get enough of milkshakes, crème brulee, cheesecake, ice cream, rice pudding, custard… Ah custard.

Custard filled sultana muffins

And this is where today’s recipe fits in. I think I’m still having a love affair with the stuff. This is custard for all times of day, whenever the desire may strike. Enjoy!

Custard filled sultana muffins

Custard and sultana muffins

  • Servings: Makes 12
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Ingredients

For the custard:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 tbs caster sugar

For the muffins:

  • 225g plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
  • ½ cup sultanas
  • 225ml milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 115g (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Directions

  1. To make the custard, combine milk and vanilla in a small saucepan.
  2. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar.
  3. Fill the sink with cold water, and get out a clean bowl, rubber spatula and strainer for when the custard is cooked.
  4. Bring the saucepan with the milk mixture to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
  5. Pour the milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.
  6. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over a medium heat and stir constantly until thick. Cook for 2-4 mins. When the custard is cooked you will be able to draw a line on the back of the spoon through the custard.
  7. As soon as it is ready, pour the custard through the strainer into the clean bowl. Place the bowl in the sink so that the cold water surrounds it. Stir with a rubber spatula until cold. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
  8. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a muffin tray with spray oil.
  9. To make the muffins, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sultanas and sugar in a bowl.
  10. Combine milk, eggs and butter in a separate bowl.
  11. Mix dry and wet ingredients until combined. Spoon half the mixture into the muffin tray. Then, place a spoonful of custard into each muffin, and fill them up with the rest of the muffin mixture. Cook for 30 mins at 180° Celsius until golden.