Blueberry Chocolate Muffins

It seems more and more difficult to come up with different varieties of muffins as I'm frequently asked to bake old favourites, but today I think I have done some that I may not have listed the recipe to recently, if at all. And very tasty they were too.

I've been busy building benches in the garden this morning (check out that alliteration!) and I thought I'd need a treat for when the rain began and forced me to stop. The rain is currently washing away all the fence paint that I have just coated the benches in!

In a large bowl sift together:
300g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder

Stir in:
220g caster sugar
nutmeg

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry ingredients

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

I need muffins.
It's been a long day.

So on emptying the contents of my fridge i found some blueberries just dying to leap into a muffin batter, so I had to bake them, it would have been wrong not to! 

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
lemon essense (I didn't have a fresh lemon today!)

Mix the wet into the dry
Stir in:
1 cup fresh blueberries

In seperate small bowl mix together:
half tub cream cheese  
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Put a dollop of mixture to cover the base of 12 muffin cases
Dollop a bit of the cream cheese mixture on top
then top off with the remaining muffin batter

Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool 

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins...

...plus a few other things, like nutmeg and cherries and other berries!

It looks like half term is ending with a flurry of visitors, so I've been up early today to get the first batch of muffins in the oven. I have three different groups of people coming for three different meals over the next three days, then I'm going back to work for a rest! The kitchen has been a hive of activity since first thing - oh and did I mention, I've also made a pair of curtains before breakfast today too - just call me superwoman :)

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar
grated rind of one lemon
teaspoon of nutmeg

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted salted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup lemon juice (or milk if you don't have enough)
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
1 cup fresh blueberries (and if like me you don't quite have enough, then make up with a mixture of other dried berries and cherries)

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Then start making the second pair of curtains!!!

Strawberry & Blueberry Muffins

The latest batch of muffins has been Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins. I didn't however remember to take any photos of those muffins, and they didn't last long because they were well scrummy, so you'll have to make do with a photo of my new moose - Canute. A seriously wonderful aquisition to grace my fireplace purchased from the Nantwich market, made by the very talented Libby Bower.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar
half a teaspoon of nutmeg

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted salted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry 

Stir in:
half cup chopped strawberries
half cup of blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on 190 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

Such sumptuous summery sensations (check me out with all that alliteration, and it isn't even term time!). Juicy blueberries make these muffins just the thing to share over the holidays. Which is exactly what I'll be doing with these ones. 

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self-raising flour

220g caster sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

quarter cup fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Then stir in

1 cup fresh blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases

Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Berries!

These were the deliciously fruity contents of my last batch of muffins - a few blueberries, strawberries, cranberries and dried cherries. A most tasty combination - and one that definitely left me feeling I had celebrated becoming a granny in style.

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self-raising flour

220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

quarter cup milk

2 large eggs

a few drops of vanilla essence

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:

1 cup mixed fruits (see photo above)

Divide between 12 muffin cases

Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes

Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Banana Blueberry Apple Sauce Muffins

Today is the Eurovision song contest and a few of my favourite people (and a couple of gorgeous dogs) are coming round for a bit of supper tonight to cheer on their respective nations! 

Unfortunately I have run out of sour cream, so I thought I'd throw in some more apple sauce, in the hope that this will make the muffins really squelchy - by this evening I'll know if that was a crazy idea or not. 

Today's combination was a bit of a 'what's in the cupboard' mix, using an old ripe banana, the remainder of the blueberries and a bit of nutmeg for good measure.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar
half tsp nutmeg

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
half cup apple sauce
1 medium mashed banana
quarter cup blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Let's hope these get 'douze points' from everyone later on.

Blueberry and Orange Muffins

Here's a batch I knocked up this afternoon - and mighty tasty they are too.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar
zest of 1 orange

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup orange juice
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry
Stir in:
1 cup fresh blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Alternatively eat one straight out of the oven and burn your mouth with boiling squirty blueberry juice - kids, they never learn!

Victoria Sandwich

The Great British Bake-Off got me inspired to make a Victoria Sandwich this afternoon. Of course I couldn't just do a plain one, so I added fresh Raspberries and Blueberries to the mix, being as the blackberries weren't in season yet.

 It's in old school sizing - no 'grams' here! That way I remember the recipe - it's always the same amount in oz of the dry ingredients, then half as many eggs; 6oz = 3 eggs or 8:4, 10:5. 

Mine seems to be a bit on the small size, but I couldn't have made a bigger mixture because I ran out of eggs. And I expect it would have whisked up bigger too, if I'd got the machine out instead of doing it all by hand.

In a large bowl cream together:
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar

Stir in:
3 large eggs (a bit at a time)
a few drops of vanilla extract

Sift in:
6oz self-raising flour

Throw in:
1 small handful of fresh Raspberries 
1 small handful of Blueberries

Divide the mixture between 2 sandwich tins
Bake on Gas 5 for 25mins until springy to the touch and slightly coming away from the sides of the tin

Leave to cool on a wire rack

Once cool spread with Raspberry Jam
Sandwich together
Then dust Icing Sugar over the top

No milk Banana Pancakes!

A friend of mine made these the other day and the picture looked delicious, so I thought I'd give them a go - what could possibly go wrong - they are only pancakes after all!

Whisk up:
2 eggs
1 banana

Pour the pancakes into an oiled pan and throw blueberries in

Attempt to turn the pancake over (this is where it all went horribly wrong) to cook the other side

In the end I turned it into scrambled banana egg and sprinkled a bit of sugar on top. It was delicious, but not pretty.

At the weekend I met someone who had their first taste of one of my muffins and asked if I ever had any failures. With muffins, rarely, but today certainly.
On with the washing up.
 

Blueberry Muffins

I should have made these muffins yesterday, for these guys who helped out all day at a garden work party at the Father's Heart Ranch,(check out their website for the wonderful work they do) http://www.fathersheartyouthranch.co.uk/, but I ran out of time. 

However, I managed to fit the baking in between things today, so that most of the gardeners still got to sample them. Those that didn't will just have to come back and garden some more next time the meadow needs mowing and I'll bake again.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar
grated peel of 1 lemon

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup lemon juice
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry
Stir in 1 cup fresh blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Blueberry and Raspberry Muffins

I threw these together quickly this afternoon, being as Jack was bringing home the guys for tea on their way to a Longboarding filming session in Aberystwyth, for the magazine he works for - Thrill Magazine. 
I hope they make the journey a little bit more enjoyable for you all.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
150g sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
few drops of vanilla extract

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in:
half cup of blueberries
half cup of raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Enjoy in transit, happy filming!

Cherries and Berries

Well this was one of three batches of muffins I made for a few get togethers I'd been invited to over the weekend. 
They were so eagerly awaited that someone just couldn't wait to get tucked in his and managed to flip it into his water glass rather than his plate.

My mixed pack of dried cherries and berries included: cranberries, blueberries, sour cherries and large raisins

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self raising
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
1 cup mixed dried cherries and berries (170g packet)

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases

Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Waffleberry Variation

This was an attempt at the evolution of the Waffleberry pudding, but to be honest I prefer the original. The blueberries worked, but for me, the milk chocolate was nowhere near as good as the white chocolate. 

I literally swapped 'White' for 'Milk' chocolate chunks
and
'Blueberries' for 'Raspberries'

Check out the recipe from a few days back - you know you want to
 

First muffins of 2013 - Blueberry and Orange

The decorations and the tree are down and away again for another year, the house is feeling back to normal again, and after a couple of weeks of overdosing on chocolate I decided I had ought to get some muffins baked. So I donned my new pinny (thanks Ian) and got out my new spotty mixing bowl (thanks Hayley and Paul) and whipped up a batch of Blueberry with a hint of Orange Muffins.

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self-raising flour

220g caster sugar

the grated rind of 1 orange

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

three quarters cup sour cream

2 large eggs

a few drops vanilla essence

Stir the wet into the dry then add:

1 cup frozen blueberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases

Sprinkle with purple glitter sugar (optional)

Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes

Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

Well these went down a treat, in fact so quickly that I only just remembered to take a photo in time as the last one sat in the tub. I'd tested them out on the Encounter UK students who came to stay at the weekend. They'd been tipped off that I made 'the best muffins in the world', so I had a reputation to uphold as we met up for a Chinese supper.

Pre heat the oven

In a large bowl mix together:

300g sifted self raising flour

50g sifted cocoa powder

220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup milk

three quarters cup sour cream

1 large egg

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:

half cup blueberries

100g milk chocolate chips

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tray for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool


I'm glad to say my reputation is still intact :)  

Blueberry and Banana Muffins

Back after a few trips away, now baking can recommence, I was feeling a bit peckish this evening  so I decided to make some Blueberry Muffins, and the over ripe banana ended up in them too! Now they are out of the oven I can have supper and look at the holiday photos at the same time.
 

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self raising flour

220g caster sugar
 

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

quarter cup milk

2 large eggs
 

Mix the wet into the dry then add:

125g blueberries

1 small mashed banana
 

Divide between 12 muffin cases

Bake Gas 5/6 for 20-25 mins

Leave in the tin a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

R&B Muffins

Raspberry and Blueberry Muffins - delicious with any kind of music, not just R&B!

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self raising flour

220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

quarter cup milk

2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in:

half cup raspberries

half cup blueberries

Divide betrween 12 muffin cases

Bake Gas 5/6

20-25 mins

Leave in the tray for a couple of minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool

Pomegranate and Blueberry Muffins

Well the wait is over, and with a tip off from chef Phil I put these two ingredients together, and judging by the fact that there's only one left in the tin, I think they went down well. 

I used one pomegranate, but if you didn't want to add the blueberries you should be able to get a whole cup of pips by using two.

I used a handy tip for getting the pips/seeds/fruit (what do you call the bits inside the pomegranate?), thanks to Nigella Lawson! Cut the pomegranate in half, over a large bowl (to catch the juice and pips) use a wooden spoon to bash the back of the fruit, and a fter a couple of minutes the seeds will start to fall out. It makes a load of mess, the juice splatters everywhere and everything turns red - including the wooden spoon!

In a large Bowl mix together:

375g self raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter
half a cup sour cream
quarter cup juice of the pomegranate (made up to the quarter with milk if not quite enough - this goes purple, and looks so cool)
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Then stir in:

half a cup of pomegranate pips
half a cup of fresh blueberries

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases

Bake on Gas 5/6

For 20-25 mins

Leave in the tin a couple of minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool

Store in an airtight container once cooled

Royal Wedding Muffins

It's not often that such momentous occasions arise that we get an extra bank holiday, so to honour this special day it seemed only right to celebrate by inventing a patriotic muffin, and when that means I get to put my favourite flavours together it just has to be done!
Red, white and blue = Raspberry, blueberry and white chocolate.
So before breakfast I was busy baking, this is what I did ~

mix 375g self raising flour with 220g castor sugar in a large bowl.
melt 90g butter, add half a cup of sour cream, quarter cup of milk, 2 large eggs. mix together. add the wet to the dry ingredients.
add half a cup each of raspberries, blueberries and white chocolate chips.

bake on gas 5/6 for 20 - 25 mins.
Then, while still hot, take them over to your favourite friend's house and share them for brunch to celebrate the Royal Wedding with other friends from various parts of the commonwealth - namely South Africa and Australia. They were a very patriotic bunch incidently.
This little shot is our view of proceedings in Westminster Cathedral - not a bad vantage point, eh?