Prune & Raisins Muffins

Gee, I just love these hot, fluffy and spongy Prune & Raisin Muffins.

Bake them today for teatime.

If you love raisins, you should try this muffin recipe ( click recipe HERE)

Add on some red cherries and dried fig for more nutritious value.

Do you crave for a snack when you are blogging???

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Coffee Muffins

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Steam Chocolate Banana Pudding

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Apricot Banana Yogurt Cupcake Recipe

click here to read recipe

M&M's Chocolate Cup Cakes

How to Prepare Muffins

Yesterday, I found half packet of chocolate chips left in the corner of the refrigerator the other day. The last time I used up the other half was when I baked Chocolate Chips Oat Cookie.

Another baking time for me today. I promised myself to bake another muffin series using chocolate chips, which is my favorite ingredients when comes to baking. The previous muffin I had baked was Chocolate Chips Raisin Muffin.

Good thing that I got this recipe from " The Complete Step by Step Cook Book" , a gigantic recipe book I had bought a few years back during the local book fair which was held in one of the shopping centre.

My little son ate quite a lot during teatime. I had to stop him because I was afraid that he might lose his appetite when dinner comes.

Needless to say, the wonderful combination of chocolate chips and orange make a great flavor and the soft texture are the favorites for sweet tooth eaters, especially little children running around at home. That's the only way to keep them down and quiet for a while.

TIPS on Baking Muffins

• When baking muffins, avoid using self-raising flour. You need to use plain flour and baking powder to bake well risen muffins. Self raising flour might not have enough baking powder to raise the fluffy soft texture muffins.
• I used light soft brown sugar instead of castor sugar because I prefer less sweet, low calories, healthy muffins.
• Remember to sift all dry ingredients before baking. This is to ensure any small particles, harden flour and air are removed to bake smooth fluffy muffins.
• Use FRESH ORANGE instead of prepacked orange juice to maintain the orange original zest and rind.
• Do not prepare overnight the orange juice or rind because the juice will turn sour the next day and the rind will change to dark brown instead.
• You can substitute chocolate chips with chunks of dark baking chocolate for more thick chocolaty taste. However, do take precaution when eating because the baking chocolate might still feel hot after freshly bake.
• In order to keep muffins fresh up to 3 days, store the leftover muffins in airtight containers. Refrigerate them , NOT FREEZE them.

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Chip and Orange Muffins.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS MUFFIN

Muffin mixtures are very quick and easy to make. It is important not to over-beat the batter too much. Ensure that all ingredients are all well blended. You can actually use cake recipes to make muffins. Muffins are easier to bring along when you are at work, in the car, picnic trip or in school compare to cakes which requires cutting, paper plates or tissue paper which create lots of hassle. The inner texture is soft, a little moist and spongy. Muffins with tea or coffee are a great treat during tea-time.

Ingredients

150g SR flour

3 tablespoon icing sugar ( 60g )

120ml skimmed milk ( I used soymilk )

2 tablespoon margarine ( 80g )

1 large egg - beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

15g raisins- chopped into dices

15g red cherries- chopped into dices

15g chocolate chips

Step-by-step method:-

Step 1

Preheat oven at 180C. Line muffin paper cups into muffin tray or foil cake cups. Sift flour and icing sugar in a big mixing bowl.

step 2.

Rub in margarine and knead with your fingertips until it resemble breadcrumbs. It should look like the above picture. It should be dry not wet.

Step 3.

Pour in skimmed milk or soymilk and stir well with a fork. You needn't use a cake mixer.

Step 4.

Add in beaten egg and vanilla essence. Mix well but don't over-beat the batter.

Step 5.

Add in chopped raisins and red cherries. Stir again.

Step 6.

Scoop some batter into muffin paper cups until 2/3 full. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top.

Step 7.

Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. Use a toothpick or cake tester to test the muffin inner texture. It should comes out clean. If it is wet, bake for another 10 minutes.

Makes around 8 pieces depending on your muffin paper cups size.

PANDAN KAYA MUFFIN

Kaya, comes from the word meaning "rich" in Malay. It is a coconut egg jam,whereby the jam is made from coconut milk , eggs, mixed with extracted juice from pandan leaf for fragrance and sweetened with sugar.

( Pandan Kaya Muffin taken from Google images)

( pandan leave or screwpine leave)

Ingredients

150g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg-beaten

40g castor sugar

50g butter, melted

100ml milk mix with 1/2 tsp pandan paste or 1 tbs pandan juice

12 teaspoon of kaya (coconut jam)

Method

1. Grease muffin tin.
2. Sift flour, baking powder into a bowl. Add salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine egg, sugar and butter.
4. Add combined milk and pandan paste. Mix well.
5. Fold in sifted flour ingredients.
6. Place a spoonful of mixture on to the base of each greased muffin hole.
7. Use a teaspoon to make a hole in the centre.
8. Fill in a teaspoon of kaya (coconut jam).
9. Then cover the top of the kaya with a tablespoon of batter until 2/3 full.
10. Bake 200C for 35min or until skewer inserted into the middle of muffin comes out clean.

SWEET CORN MUFFIN

Sweet corn are sweet either bake with bread, cakes or muffins. Most people like to eat steam cup sweet corn for snacks.

Here is a recipe for easy sweet corn muffin.

( sweet corn muffin from Google images)

Ingredients

215g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

60g castor sugar

3 large eggs-beaten

90ml low fat milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

75g butter, melted

175g cream style sweet corn

Method

1. Lightly grease muffin tin.
2. Sift self raising flour and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Stir in sugar.
4. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and butter together.
5. Add to flour mixture together with sweet corn.
6. Beat for another 30 seconds.
7. Spoon into greased muffin holes until 2/3 full.
8. Bake 190C for 25min or until skewer inserted into the centre of muffin comes out clean.

STRAWBERRY MUFFIN

(photo taken from Google images)

Strawberries may taste sour if eaten raw. Mix them together with muffins, give you a wonderful taste.

Ingredients

250g plain flour

4 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp salt

75g light brown sugar

2 large eggs-beaten

75g butter, melted

150ml milk

250g fresh, ripe strawberries, dice

Method

1. Preheat oven 220C.
2. Grease muffin hole or line with muffin paper cases.
3. Sift all dry ingredients in a bowl.
4. Add salt.
5. Beat sugar and eggs together.
6. Add butter and milk. Mix well.
7. Stir the sugar mixture into the dry ingredients.
8. Add in dice strawberries.
9. Mix until all well blended.
10. Spoon into muffin hole or paper case until 2/3 full.
11. Bake for 25 to 30min or until the skewer inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

BASIC MUFFIN

This is recipe for basic muffin if you like it plain.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs-beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Preheat oven to 190C.
3. Sift flour, baking powder into a bowl.
4. Stir in salt. Set aside.
5. lace sugar, eggs, milk, butter and vanilla essence in a bowl. Mix well.
6. Add combined dry ingredients and beat until blended.
7. Spoon into muffin pan until 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 20min or until skewer inserted in the centre of muffin comes out clean.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS RAISIN MUFFIN

Delicious Moist Muffins

I first joined NESTLE member club way back in 1995. Ever since then, NESTLE has sent me notes on how to eat healthy and details of food nutritions. What I like most are the various receipes that they provide with colour postcard size, easy to read too. I have the "GOLDEN MANGO MUFFIN" receipe. Unfortunately, short of many ingredients. Therefore, I replaced them with whatever I could find in my kitchen.

I baked the first batch for 15min but the interior were wet, sticky and not sweet enough.

For the second batch, I added some chocolate chips since they were not sweet. Baked 20min and turned out a little burnt at the side and the bottom. Surprisingly, they were PERFECT!! Moist, sweet and fine texture. Give it a try!

Chocolate Chips Raisin Muffin

(original receipe was GOLDEN MANGO MUFFIN)

makes 24pcs

Ingredients

150ml Apple Yogurt (or any flavour)

150g chopped raisins

250g SR Flour

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/4 tsp salt

150g butter (dice,melted)

100g icing sugar

2eggs (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla essence

100ml Full Cream Milk

(I substitute with 1 tbsp milk powder with 100ml warm water)

a little butter for greasing muffin tins

Method:

1. Preheat oven. Prepare all the required ingredients.

Combine raisins with yogurt in a bowl.

Cover and leave aside for 1/2 hr to soften the raisins.

In another bowl, sift together SR flour and bicarbonate soda.

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add half of the beaten eggs and beat well after each addition.

4. Stir in vanilla essence and yogurt mixture.

5. Fold in flour sifted flour and bicarbonate soda alternatively with milk.

6. Mix well.

7. Grease muffin tins with a little butter.

8. Fill the greased muffin tin with batter 2/3 full.

9. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 15-20min.

Muffins will rise and turn golden brown.

10. Insert skewer or cake tester into muffins. It should comes out clean.

Just lovely...