Basic cinnamon apple muffins

Ingredients

* Melted butter or margarine (optional), for greasing

* 300g (2 cups) plain flour
* 1 tbs baking powder
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 150g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
* 2 medium (about 375g) Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, chopped
* 125g (3/4 cup) seedless raisins
* 125g butter or margarine, melted, cooled
* 2 eggs, lightly whisked
* 185mls (3/4 cup) milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. You will need 12 medium (125mls/ 1/2 cup) muffin
pans. They are available in trays of either 6 or 12. Non-stick muffin pans are wonderful to use as they
don't need greasing. If you aren't using non-stick pans, brush the pans with the melted butter or
margarine to lightly grease. Alternatively, line the pans with paper muffin cases.
2. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon 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 brown sugar, apples and raisins
until well combined.
3. Whisk together the butter or margarine, 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.
4. Add the milk mixture 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.
5. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans.
6. Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 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 If not, cook for a little
longer before testing again. When cooked, remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning
onto a wire rack. Letting them stand makes them easier to remove from the pans. Serve warm or at room
temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

Notes & tips

* Variations: Based on the basic cinnamon apple muffins recipe

* Banana & pecan muffins: Replace apples and raisins with 3 mashed very ripe bananas (combine with
the wet ingredients before adding to flour mixture) and 100g chopped pecan nuts and reduce the milk to
125mls (1/2 cup). Cook for 25 minutes.
* Tangy lemon muffins: Replace the cinnamon with finely grated rind of 2 lemons. Replace the brown
sugar with 220g (1 cup) caster sugar, leave out the apple and raisins. Replace the milk with 125mls (1/2
cup) fresh lemon juice and 70g (1/4 cup) plain yoghurt. Cook for 25 minutes. Alternatively, cook them in
mini muffin pans (40mls/2 tbs) for 15 minutes.
* Rhubarb muffins: Increase the brown sugar to 200g (1 cup, firmly packed), replace the apples and
raisins with 1/2 bunch (about 350g) rhubarb, washed well, trimmed and roughly chopped, and 100g (1
cup) pecans, roughly chopped. Replace the milk with 200g plain yoghurt. Sprinkle the muffins with 50g
(1/4 cup, firmly packed) extra brown sugar before cooking. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
* Sweet corn & polenta muffins: Reduce the flour to 225g (1 1/2 cups), add 170g (1 cup) polenta
(cornmeal) with the flour, leave out the cinnamon and reduce the brown sugar to 50g (1/4 cup, firmly
packed). Replace the apples and raisins with a 420g can of corn kernels, drained. Cook for 20 minutes.
* Blueberry muffins: Replace the apples and raisins with 300g frozen or fresh blueberries and replace
milk with buttermilk.
The ultimate chocoholic's muffin
Ingredients

* 300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

* 125g unsalted butter, roughly chopped
* 1 3/4 cups (260g) self-raising flour
* 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder
* 1/4 cup (50g) firmly packed brown sugar
* 3/4 cup (185ml) milk
* 2 eggs
* 3 x 80g Mars bars, thinly sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 6-hole jumbo muffin pan.

2. Place half the chocolate and the butter in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let water
touch the bowl) and stir occasionally until melted. Set aside to cool slightly. Sift flour, baking powder and
cocoa into a large bowl and stir in sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs, then add to
dry ingredients and stir in along with chocolate mixture. Divide between muffin pans and bake for 20
minutes or until risen and cooked through. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
3. Place remaining chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let water touch bowl)
until melted. Cool slightly, place a little chocolate on the Mars bar slices, then pile onto muffins. Drizzle
with remaining melted chocolate.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

* 3 cups flour
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 3 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 cup milk
* 2/3 cup butter, melted
* 2 eggs, slightly beaten
* 2 cups finely chopped tart apples

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix together.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until flour mixture is moistened.
4. Spoon batter into 2 greased or paper-lined 12-cup muffin pans.
5. Bake at 375 for 19-23 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing
from pan.
Chocolate muffins
Ingredients

100g dark chocolate

125g butter

150g caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

175g (3/4 cup) sour cream

60 ml brandy

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cardamom

210g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preparation method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12 cup muffin pan and with paper patty cups.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water. Cool. Stir in the sugar, eggs, sour
cream, brandy and spices.

3. Sift remaining ingredients into a bowl. Add chocolate mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just
combined.

4. Fill patty cups two-thirds full. Bake muffins for 20–25 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack; let muffins
cool briefly before serving.

Double Choc Banana Muffins

Ingredients

125 g butter
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup milk choc chips
¼ cup white choc chips
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons milk
Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease 12 hole muffin tray.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in vanilla, bananas and chocolate until just combined.

Sift together flour and bicarbonate of soda and fold through mixture alternately with milk.

Place mixture in muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Banana Muffins
Ingredients

2½ cups self-raising flour

¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas

Method

Combine milk, egg, margarine, vanilla and bananas, and blend in a mixing jug.

Place flour and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in milk mixture.

Pour mixture into a greased muffin tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180°C.

Coconut, Chocolate and Banana Mini Muffins

Ingredients

125 g unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup caster sugar
3 ripe bananas, roughly chopped
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ cup dark chocolate chips
Icing sugar, to dust
Method

Preheat oven to 200°C and grease a 12-hole mini-muffin pan.

Process butter, caster sugar, banana, eggs and vanilla in a bowl or food processor until well combined.

Place flour, coconut and chocolate in a large bowl, then fold in banana mixture.

Working in batches, place dessert spoons of mixture into pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until risen and
golden.

Cool slightly in pan, and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1¾ cups plain flour

¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup plain yoghurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
¾ cup chocolate chips

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla.

Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fold in bananas and chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 180°C for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick
comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.