Raspberry, Oat and Cinnamon Muffins

 

This recipe starts out as a healthy and simple muffin mix, and transforms into something delicious with the addition of Raspberries and rolled oats, or Blueberries and oats, or dried Fig and cinnamon, or whatever you have on hand, or whatever floats your boat at the time really. That is what I love about making muffins, they are quick and versatile, and healthy if we are using wholemeal flour and fruits, always good don't you think? Halve the sugar in this recipe if you wish, the honey imparts a lovely and  naturally sweet flavour, however these are not a really sweet muffin even with the sugar added.

It's my Book club meeting today, and our numbers have been depleted due to Covid and travel etc, but we are a group of booklovers who also love to tuck into a nice afternoon tea, after all there is a synergy between books, food, coffee or tea and good conversation isn't there? We are all taking a small plate of food, and I was asked to just bring something simple and sweet, and these muffins immediately came to mind. Everyone takes a turn at hosting the meeting in their home. I try to have all the ingredients on standby, just waiting for the right occasion, and if you have frozen raspberries or blueberries in your freezer, or packaged dried apple or even bananas in the fruit bowl, then you are good to go to whip up a batch of these very edible muffins. 

I still need to finish the book to be discussed today, and  just in case you are interested, it's a book written by Aussie author Jane Harper, titled "Force of Nature". (She also wrote "The Dry" which was made into a film.) It's a good mystery that really keeps the reader guessing with lots of complex characters, focusing on the tensions that develop between a group of work colleagues going on a challenging hike through the fictional Giralang Ranges as a team building exercise. So whilst these muffins are in the oven I am easing into a comfy chair and finishing the book, which I am reading on my kindle this time, as much as I love reading a paper copy book, after all I was a Librarian in a previous life, sometimes it is just easier to download the electronic variety, especially when travelling. I'm 90% through the book so it will be finished by this afternoon.

I like to bake the muffins in pretty paper cases, note to myself to be on the hunt for some more, which is less washing up in fiddly muffin trays. If you like to bake muffins you will understand what I mean. After I have filled the cases, I always pop a couple of extra frozen berries into the mixture as the quantity of berries in each muffin is hard to control, how disappointing to eat a raspberry muffin without finding many berries in it.

BASIC MUFFIN RECIPE: Adapted from the recipe by a favourite Aussie chef, Donna Hay.

N.B. Extra ingredients of your choice are added after basic muffin mix is made.

Ingredients:

2 cups (300 g) all purpose whole-wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 cup raw sugar (110 g) plus a little extra for garnish

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 beaten egg 

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (310 ml) ( or 1 1/4 cups full cream milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar) and let it stand for 10 minutes to develop

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 deg. C (350 deg. F). 

Place dry ingredients into your main mixing bowl i.e. flour, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon and mix to combine. 

Take a separate smaller bowl, and combine and mix the honey, egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until only just combined. (Never vigorously mix a muffin batter.)

Stir through the extra ingredients as listed underneath.

Extra ingredients for my raspberry muffins:

Add 1 cup (160 g) fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries and 1/2 cup (45g) rolled oats (not quick cook oats) to the basic mixture with minimal stirring. 

Add paper cases to your 12x1/2  cup capacity muffin tray, spoon mixture into  each paper case .

Sprinkle the muffins with extra oats, and a sprinkle of raw sugar. I like to pop an extra frozen raspberry into the top of each muffin for presentation and extra fruit content.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer, however when they are beautifully golden on top they should be cooked. 

Serve warm or cold, Serves 12.

(These muffins will also freeze for 1 month.)

Extra Notes:

• I add the rolled oats to the dry ingredients before I add the egg mixture for even distribution.
• Add a couple of extra raspberries to the muffin mixture when the cases are filled to ensure everyone is delighted by raspberries in their muffin, how disappointing if somehow someone misses out. It's difficult to measure how many raspberries go into each muffin.
• I have already mentioned this but the difference between a nice soft muffin and a chewy one, is caused by over stirring the batter. Quick and easy does it.
• Plain all purpose flour and baking powder still produces a delicious muffin if you don't have any of the healthier whole wheat flour on hand.
• I never buy buttermilk, as making your own is easy. 
• Substitute fresh or frozen blueberries for the frozen raspberries if that's wheat you have on hand. Delicious.
• I've given more suggestions for muffin variations below, or just use your imagination with what is available.
• Where I live, it's much more economical to use frozen berries in baking.
• If you are eating them the day after baking, warm them up slightly in the microwave if you wish.
• I think I prefer this kind of muffin to a patty cake or cupcake.
• Bran can be substitute for oats.
• Full fat yoghurt could be substituted for buttermilk

Into the oven they go.

1 dozen little beauties, hot out of the oven.

Two missing already, Mr. HRK loves them, he's the Muffin Man today.

Ready for afternoon tea. Perfect on a Sunday.

Here are some other muffin combinations for you, it's nice to sprinkle them with a little raw sugar before baking:

Blueberry and Apple:  Add 1 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries and 1/2 cup (20 g) chopped dried apple to your basic muffin mixture

Fig and Cinnamon: Add 1 cup (190 g) sliced dried figs and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the basic mixture.

Muesli: Add your own, or 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup slivered almonds, and 1/4 cup dried apricots. (I love dried apricots in baked goods.)

Dates and Rolled Oats or Oat Bran: Add 1 cup chopped soft dates and 1/3 cup bran or even LSA to the basic mixture.

Banana, Bran and Cinnamon: Add 2 mashed ripish bananas, and 1/3 cup oat bran to the basic mixture.

Dear Reader, I've tried something different this time in my layout, I've left all of the photos until the end following the recipe. What do you prefer, photos scattered throughout the recipe and method, or left to the end. However, you've done well if you are still reading this at the end of my story.

I hope you can treat yourself to something healthy and delicious to eat this weekend, and that you are well. By the way, I finished the book, and the ending was a real surprise. I'm just pleased that when I was working our team building exercises weren't like the one in the book, I doubt that I would have survived.

It's time for morning tea here, and a leftover muffin from yesterday of course. I've obviously been writing this over a couple of days, that's the beauty of the simple life.

Warm wishes,

Pauline