Perfect Recipe

Chocolate Muffins
(12 muffins)

Ingredients:

50g cornflour
3 level tbsp cocoa
100g dark soft brown sugar
225ml cold water
75g unsalted butter, cubed
125g dark chocolate, broken small
75ml sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
125g caster sugar
125g plain flour
2½ tsp baking powder

Directions:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F. In a large saucepan, put the cornflour, cocoa, brown sugar and cold water. Whisk together over a medium heat until boiling, very thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter and dark chocolate until both have melted and been absorbed. Add the oil, vanilla and one of the eggs – beat until combined. Add the remaining egg and the caster sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth and combined.
In a mixing bowl, measure out the flour and baking powder and stir together. Sift this onto the custard and beat again until the flour is thoroughly combined.
Spoon into 12 paper muffin cases that have been put into a muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Orange Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients:

210g (1 ½ cup) all purpose flour
100g (½ cup) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
113g (½ cup) unsalted butter
120ml (½ cup) fresh orange juice
¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
grated zest of 1 orange

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF and grease 12 muffin cups.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add sugar and chocolate chips and blend well.
Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice, eggs and orange rind. Beat.
Stir liquid into dry mixture and blend just until moistened.
Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
6 muffins

75g self-raising flour
50g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
4 tbsp sugar
50g melted unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
1 small egg
55ml milk
1 small apple, cored, peeled, chopped

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon to sprinkle
1/2 tsp sugar para to sprinkle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. You will need 6 medium muffin pans. Silicone muffin pans are wonderful to use as they don’t need greasing. Alternatively, line the pans with paper muffin cases.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg 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 sugar, apples until well combined.
Whisk together the butter, honey, 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 and the apples 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 sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon misture. Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 to 25 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. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon Muffins with Streusel
(8 muffins)

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:

1 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons cold butter

For the Glaze:

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Muffins:
In a large bowl, sift and combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix, just until moistened. Grease or paper line muffin cups and fill the batter 3/4 full.

Streusel:
In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.

Bake muffins at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove onto a wire rack.

Glaze:
Mix together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over muffins.