Healthy muffins that are actually delicious! A copy-cat of the raspberry bran muffins from Sydney’s beloved Bowan Island Bakery, these breakfast muffins are a nutritious, convenient breakfast option that’s far better for you than take-away on the way to school or work.

Up-and-go Breakfast Muffins

Being a savoury gal, I’ve always been partial to savoury muffins for breakfast (proof here, here and here). But a breakfast muffin with a sweet slant has been on my list for a while. I’m talking about the type that doesn’t make you feel like you’re eating cake for breakfast, a muffin that is just sweet enough but still good for you and good to eat.

So here it is!

Why these muffins are better for you

• Low fat – just 1 1/4 tsp coconut oil per muffin

• Refined-sugar free

• Lightly sweetened – Just 2 teaspoons honey per muffin

• Extra dietary fibre – keeps your insides….err….moving, shall we say ☺️ as well as keeping you full for longer and stabilising your blood sugars.

• Convenient – Grab and go! No need to reheat, eat on the move.

• Long shelf life – These last for 4 to 5 days, and are freezable.

• Easy to make – One-bowl batter mixed with just a wooden spoon

• Add-ins of choice – dried fruit and nuts, oats, fruit, choc chips!

Ingredients in breakfast muffins

Here’s what you need to make these breakfast muffins. Add-ins are flexible – see below for suggestions.

The key ingredient in this for goodness and flavour is wheat germ. Good-for-you extra fibre that gives these muffins a fabulous nutty flavour and lovely warm brown colour!

Dry ingredients

• Wheat germ (sub wheat bran) – The good-for-you extra fibre boost! Found in either the cereal aisle, health food section or flour aisle or grocery stores. While both wheat germ and wheat bran work, I think wheat germ is nicer. It has lovely nutty flavour because it’s the seed inside wheat kernels. Whereas wheat germ is the exterior of wheat kernels so it gives the muffins a slightly earthier flavour. Both have similar nutrition characteristics – high in dietary fibre as well as other nutrients. Better for you than plain flour!

• Wholewheat / wholemeal flour – In keeping with the better-for-you spirit of these muffins, I’ve opted for wholemeal rather than plain white flour. It has more nutrients because it’s less processed, plus it enhances the nutty flavour of these muffins.

• Baking powder AND baking soda (bi-carbonate) – These both make things rise but baking soda is 3x as strong and they each have different rising characteristics. For this recipe, using a combination of both delivers the muffin top shape and crumb texture I want.

  The baking soda can be substituted with more baking powder but the crumb is not quite as soft. See recipe card notes for quantity.

• Cinnamon – For flavour!

• Salt – Brings out the other flavours in the muffins, doesn’t make it salty!

Wet ingredients

• Honey or maple syrup – For sweetening! We only use 1/2 cup across 12 muffins which equates to 2 teaspoons per muffin. See commentary below on why honey is better for you than sugar.

• Coconut oil – This is the fat in the muffins. I like to use unrefined / virgin coconut oil which adds a lovely very subtle coconut flavour into the muffins. By no means would anyone call these “coconut muffins”! Use the type that is firm like butter and needs to be melted to mix into batters, rather than the pourable type.

  Note: There is also refined coconut oil which is stripped of all coconut oil and aroma. This and other oils will work in this recipe but will not add flavour. If you opt for another oil, I’d suggest doubling the vanilla and adding extra cinnamon.

• Yogurt and milk – This is the wet in the batter. Using yogurt serves two purposes. Firstly, it has acid in it which gives the baking soda a rising kick start. Sometimes I use a teaspoon of vinegar in recipes to serve the same purpose, like in my Magic Stay-Moist Apple Muffins.

  Secondly, yogurt is not as watery as milk. So it adds wetness to batters without making it as loose which means less flour needed = muffin more moist!

• Egg – Just one, to hold the muffins together. Using only 1 egg makes a massive difference to the moistness of the crumb of muffins as the more egg you use, the sturdier but drier the crumb gets.

• Vanilla – For flavour.

Why is honey better than sugar?

Because honey is:

• sweeter than sugar so you can use less in recipes;

• lower GI so your blood sugar levels won’t spike as quickly – which keeps you feeling full for longer; and

• more nutritious than sugar which is “empty calories”. That is, sugar literally just contains sugar and nothing else! Honey contains nutrients such as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Add-ins of choice!

I’ve used raspberries in these because they were on special. However, you really can add any add-ins you want. See suggestions below.

Add-in options:

• Raspberries or blueberries, other berries – 250g/8oz, 2 heaped cups

• Chopped fruit like apple, pears, cherries, grapes. (Not overly juicy fruit like oranges, peaches etc as they will leech too much liquid into the batter)

• Dried fruit – sultanas, apricots, cranberries, apple, mango – anything goes!

• Nuts and seeds

• Chocolate chips – I mean, the rest of the muffin is healthy. So this tips the scales back to neutral? 😈

How to make breakfast muffins

It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Mix wet ingredients

2. Mix in dry ingredients

3. Fill muffin holes and bake!

I like to reserve some raspberries to decorate the top, but this entirely optional – for visual purposes only. I know some people prefer more INSIDE the muffins!

1. Whisk wet – Melt the coconut oil in a microwavable bowl. Then whisk in all the wet ingredients: egg, yogurt, milk, honey and vanilla.

2. Mix in dry ingredients – Scatter across the surface (incorporates easier) then whisk in. Once you can no longer see flour, stop! Don’t get too enthusiastic with mixing as it will make the muffins tough.

3. Add-ins – Fold through the raspberries or whatever add-ins you’re using.

4. Divide between 12 holes. I used liners but it’s not essential, you could just spray with oil.

5. Top with reserved raspberries, if using.

6. Bake for 25 minutes at 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan) or until golden brown on the surface. Cool then devour!

Other matters of Up-and-Go Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast on the run – I’ve named these breakfast muffins as such because they are a great grab-and-go breakfast that doesn’t need heating and can be literally eaten on the run. More filling and less sweet than than muesli bars which I personally consider to be more suitable for a snack rather than breakfast.

Storage – These will keep for 4 to 5 days without going stale because they are more moist than typical muffins thanks to the coconut oil and yogurt. If it’s hot where you are, best to keep them in the fridge, otherwise just keep them in the pantry in an airtight container. They will also freeze for 3 months.

And with that, I think I’ve said all I need to on the matter of these breakfast muffins! Just to reiterate, these are less sweet than your usual muffins. To me, they are the perfect sweetness to have as breakfast without feeling like you’re being naughty and eating cake. And they are just sweet enough to have as a morning tea treat. In fact, people who often find Western cakes and cookies too sweet will probably find these the perfect level of sweetness.

Hope you give them a go! Love to know what add-ins you use if you do. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Up-and-go breakfast muffins!

Recipe video above. No more dry, bland healthy muffins. These are healthy – but delicious!! Just 1 1/4 tsp of oil and 2 tsp honey per muffin, lower fat than usual sweet-treat muffins, refined sugar free and contain extra dietary fibre.

Great for breakfast because it's not sweet like cake. But also morning tea – they are just sweet enough for me. Stays fresh for days.

Course Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine Baking

Keyword bran muffins, Breakfast Muffins, healthy muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling 15 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 217cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Wet:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil , virgin or unrefined (normal oil also works but not as tasty, Note 1)
• 1 large egg , at room temperature (~55g/2oz)
• 2/3 cup milk , at room temperature – full fat best (low fat and non-dairy ok too)
• 1/3 cup yogurt , plain/unsweetened
• 1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry:

• 1 1/4 cups wheat germ (best) OR 1 1/4 cups (80g) wheat bran (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour (sub ordinary flour – Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp baking powder (Note 4)
• 1 tsp baking soda , sifted if lumpy (or 3 tsp extra baking powder) – Note 4

Add ins – CHOOSE ONE:

• 250g / 8 oz raspberries , 18 set aside and cut in half to decorate top if desired
• 2 cups diced fresh fruit (not watery) – like apples, pears
• 1 1/4 cups dried fruit, nuts, choc chips etc

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Line a 12 hole standard muffin tin with muffin cases OR spray generously with oil.
• Whisk wet – Place coconut oil in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds on high or until melted. Add remaining Wet ingredients, whisk until smooth.
• Mix in Dry – Sprinkle the Dry ingredients across the surface in the order listed. Mix just until combined.
• Raspberries – Gently stir in the whole raspberries or other add-ins of choice.
• Fill muffin tin – Divide batter between the 12 holes using an ice cream scoop. Decorate top with halved raspberries.
• Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

1. Coconut oil – Better for you than butter and ordinary oil, with the added benefit of subtle tasty coconut flavour! Virgin & unrefined coconut oil has coconut flavour (because they are not processed, so better for you) and has a texture like firm butter so needs to be melted to mix in. Makes these muffins tastier!

Refined coconut oil does not have coconut flavour and is pourable like ordinary oil – can be used in this recipe too.

Ordinary oil can be substituted but will reduce flavour in the muffins. Butter can also be substituted and will give them lovely flavour but muffin will not be quite as moist inside.

2. Wheat germ is the seed inside wheat kernels and has a lovely nutty flavour. Find it in the cereal or health food aisle of grocery stores. Wheat bran can also be used but the flavour is a bit earthier and less nutty. I’d use something sweeter than raspberries to balance this out – like dried fruit. 

Both wheat germ and wheat bran have similar good-for-your dietary characteristics (see in post for more info!).

3. Wholemeal flour (aka wholewheat flour) makes the muffins softer and has more flavour than plain/all-purpose flour (but you can use plain flour, maybe double the vanilla and add extra cinnamon!)

4. Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carbonate) – These have different rising qualities and this combination gives these muffins the best shape, in my opinion. However, you can use just baking powder if you want – use 4 teaspoons in total.

Storage – 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. Fridge is best though pantry also fine if it’s not too warm where you are. Freezer 3 months.

Nutrition per muffin.

Nutrition

Calories: 217cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

While I’m in Melbourne for the Good Food & Wine Show, Dozer is with the golden retriever boarder and apparently not showing any signs of separation anxiety. Hmmph!

The post Up-and-go breakfast muffins! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chocolate muffins that truly taste of chocolate and stay fresh for days are a rarity! This recipe delivers, thanks to some tidy tricks including hot milk to bloom the cocoa, and a little coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour (you won’t taste the coffee). Using brown sugar, oil, sour cream and less egg meanwhile is the secret to keeping the crumb ultra-moist and tender!

Chocolate Muffins

Chocolate muffins are not all created equal. I’m fussy about mine and make no apologies about it – there are a lot of calories in a muffin, so every one of them better be worth it! 😂 Here’s my laundry list of things a great chocolate muffin needs to have. It must:

• Have a lovely crisp dome

• Be tender and moist inside

• Truly taste of chocolate

• Be quick and easy to make (as muffins should be!)

• Not include obscure or just plain weird ingredients

• Stay fresh for 3 days

• Be still good for even another 2 days after that!

While this list of chocolate muffin characteristics might sound obvious to you, finding a recipe that ticks all these boxes is much harder than you think! In fact, in my whole cooking life, I have never come across a keeper.

After (many!) years of attempts, I finally buckled down and committed myself to pursuing the ultimate chocolate muffin recipe, even if it killed me. In the end, it was a plethora of simple baking tricks that came together in creating what is my idea of the perfect chocolate muffin. I’m VERY happy with the end result and thrilled to share it!

Chocolate muffins are notorious for being dry because of the cocoa powder. But not these!

The simple baking tricks for the BEST Chocolate Muffins ever!

Here’s the complete list of the simple tricks that make all the difference in this recipe. An explanation of the why behind each of these is in the ingredients section below.

1. 1 egg rather than the usual 2 eggs;

2. Brown sugar instead of white sugar;

3. Oil instead of butter;

4. Sour cream instead of milk;

5. Coffee to enhance chocolate flavour (optional);

6. Dutch-process cocoa powder for more intense chocolate flavour (optional);

7. Blooming the cocoa powder with hot milk;

8. Thinner batter than the usual muffin batters; and

9. Briefly bake on a high temperature then lower temperature to finish!

Ingredients in Chocolate Muffins

Here’s what you need to make these Chocolate Muffins. If you’re wondering – coffee? Did she make mistake? Read on below for why!!

• Instant coffee powder or granules – This is an age-old baking trick used to enhance chocolate flavours because chocolate and coffee share similar taste characteristics. You can taste the coffee in the raw batter but once baked, you cannot taste it. Any instant coffee powder or granules works fine here, no need to use an expensive one!

• Dutch process cocoa powder – This is a darker cocoa with a more intense chocolate flavour and colour than ordinary cocoa powder. It is slightly more expensive but yields a better result.

  Ordinary cocoa powder (unsweetened) will work just fine too. The colour of the muffins however will not be quite as deep and also it will taste slightly less chocolatey.

• HOT milk – A trick used in my Chocolate Cake and Fudge Cake, hot liquid (usually water) mixed with cocoa powder makes it bloom! This brings out the flavour and makes the muffins taste more chocolatey.

• Just 1 egg – Eggs are required to bind the crumb of cakes. But the problem is the whites tend to also dry baked goods out! So we use just 1 egg here. Compared to using 2 eggs, the extra moistness in the crumb is remarkable.

• Oil – This is the fat used in the chocolate muffins instead of the usual butter. While I love the flavour butter brings to baked goods, it actually has a drying effect on the crumb compared to oil. My side by side tests confirmed this also for this muffin recipe. So, oil it is!

• Brown sugar – While white sugar will make a slightly crisper dome, brown sugar retains moisture better which means the crumb is more moist (notice a trend we’re aiming for here??). It also adds a lovely caramel flavour to the crumb which compliments the chocolate flavour.

  As for making the dome crisp? I wasn’t willing to give that up! So I just blast the muffins at a slightly higher temperature for the first 5 minutes which helps give it a nice crispy dome. Now we get the best of both worlds!

• Baking soda (bi-carb) – This makes the muffins rise slightly better than using baking powder, while preserving the intense dark chocolate colour of the crumb. Baking powder does also work perfectly fine (use 4 teaspoons) but the muffins rise slightly less and give a slightly paler crumb colour.

• Vanilla – Just a touch, for flavour! Vanilla extract is fine to use here and is preferable to artificial vanilla flavouring. While real vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste has its place, I wouldn’t bother wasting them for this recipe.

• Sour cream – Another baking trick! This lets us introduce wetness in the batter but keeps the batter a thicker consistency than using, say, more milk. We need a thicker batter for chocolate muffins than for, say, cupcakes, in order to achieve that lovely dome.

  Yogurt can also be used in place of sour cream.

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour does work in place of using plain flour + baking soda as done here, but the muffins don’t rise quite as well. (I’d still use self raising flour if that’s all I had, though.)

• Chocolate chips – I use dark chocolate chips (called semi-sweet chips in the US) but any type of chocolate chips will work just fine here. Or chopped chocolate! Just be sure to use baking chocolate (from the baking aisle), not eating chocolate. The latter is not made for cooking in the oven and funky things happen when you do!

• Salt – Just a touch, it brings out the flavour in baked goods. Standard practice!

How to make Chocolate Muffins

Mix Dry , mix Wet, mix Dry into Wet. Bake. Do you really need me to give you any more detail? 😂

The nice thing about these muffins is that you don’t need to be as careful about not over-mixing the batter (which causes a dry muffin) because this batter is not as thick as most muffin batters.

1. Sift Dry ingredients – Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. I don’t typically bother sifting flour for muffins, but seeing as we’re sifting cocoa anyway, I figure we may as well. Using the same sifter for the cocoa without cleaning the flour off is fine.

2. Sift cocoa powder into a separate bowl.

3. Bloom cocoa – Add the coffee powder and hot milk to the cocoa and give it a good whisk. This step of adding a hot liquid (usually boiling water) to cocoa powder makes the cocoa “bloom”, bringing out its flavour. It’s an age-old baking trick, one I use for things like Chocolate Cake and my Fudge Cake.

4. Finish batter – Whisk in remaining wet ingredients (oil, sour cream, vanilla, egg, sugar – yes, sugar is classified as a “wet” ingredient in baking!) with the cocoa.

   Then pour this mixture into the flour and whisk. Initially, after the flour is incorporated, the batter will look a bit split (ie. it’ll have fine oil streaks). Whisk until it’s smooth and glossy, but stop once it is. Don’t keep mixing on blindly! This will overwork the gluten in the flour and make your muffins tough rather than pillowy soft! That said, this batter is thinner than most muffins batters so it’s more failsafe in this regard.

5. Stir in most of the chocolate chips – reserved about 1/4 cup for topping.

   Note: This batter is THINNER than typical muffin batters. This is one reason why these cupcakes have a much more tender and moist crumb than the usual chocolate muffins.

6. Fill muffin cases. Use an ice cream scoop with a lever if you have one. This is a super-handy tool for muffins, cupcakes, fritters, even meatballs!

   Do not overfill! Fill the muffin cases up to 0.5cm / 0.2″ from rim of paper liner. Don’t fill any higher as the muffin will overflow when baked since this batter is quite thin. (see Note 5)

7. Top with reserved chocolate chips. Just pile them in the middle, they will spread out as the muffin rises.

   Bake at HIGH temp 5 minutes – Bake for 5 minutes at 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan). Starting off at a slightly higher temperature gives the muffins a kick start on the rise (required for this thinner batter) and gives the muffins a crunchier top.

   Bake at LOW temp 20 minutes – Turn oven DOWN to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan) then bake further 20 minutes. So, 25 minutes in total. This is longer than most muffins and it’s because the batter is thinner (contains more liquid).

   Notes on oven temperature: I know these oven temperatures are a bit unusual compared to the typical 180°C/350°F. I tried baking these at all sorts of temperatures and I honestly think the temperatures I’ve landed on yield the best result. The muffins have a nice rise, crisp dome, moist crumb inside, without overcooked edges.

   How to tell the muffins are baked: Start checking the muffins at the 15 min mark on the low temp bake. When a toothpick inserted into the middle muffins comes out clean, they’re done. Don’t confuse melted chocolate with raw batter! Probe in multiple places if you are unsure. (PS. The slightest faint smear of batter on the toothpick is ok because residual heat will take care of any remaining rawness).

8. Cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin until you can handle them. The muffins are quite fragile straight out of the oven because they are so tender inside, so handle with care.

   Transfer to a cooling rack, and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before attacking them!

How long these chocolate muffins stay fresh

These Chocolate Muffins will stay very fresh for 3 days which is a rare feat in the muffin world! Most muffins begin to turn stale within hours of being made. By the next day they usually need to be warmed up to resurrect them.

These muffins do start to lose freshness on Day 4 but a quick 10 second zap in the microwave is all you need to revive them to near fresh-baked-perfection.

Sounds all too good to be true right?? Well, I think you’ll just have to make these and see for yourself! I’d love to hear how long you kept yours good for. Or, if they even made it beyond Day 1 before they disappeared entirely!! 😉 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Chocolate Muffins

Recipe video above. Chocolate muffins that truly taste of chocolate and stay fresh for days are a rarity! This recipe delivers, thanks to some tidy tricks including hot milk to bloom the cocoa, and a little coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour (you won't taste the coffee). Using brown sugar, oil, sour cream and less egg meanwhile is the secret to keeping the crumb ultra-moist and tender!

Course Muffin, Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword chocolate muffins, double chocolate muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 345cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour) (Note 1)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder , sifted (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules / powder , optional (Note 4)
• 3/4 cup milk , full fat, HOT
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or veg or other neutral flavoured oil)
• 1 cup brown sugar , packed (Note 5)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream or thick plain yogurt (fridge-cold fine, Note 6)
• 1 large egg (55-60g / 2oz) (fridge-cold fine, Note 6)
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (US: semi-sweet chips)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan). Place shelf in the top 1/3 of the oven. Line a 12-hole standard muffin tin with paper cases.
• Sift Dry ingredients: Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.
• Bloom cocoa: In a separate bowl, sift the cocoa then add coffee and HOT milk. Whisk until lump-free.
• Add remaining Wet ingredients: To the cocoa mixture, add sugar, oil, egg, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
• Mix flour in: Pour Wet mix into the bowl holding the flour. Whisk until smooth and glossy. Stop once it's smooth, don't mix excessively. (Note 7)
• Add chocolate chips: Stir in most of the chocolate chips – reserve approx 1/4 cup for topping.
• Fill muffin tin: Divide the batter between the 12 holes, up to 0.5cm / 0.2" from rim of paper liner. (Note 8)
• Top with chocolate chips: Top muffins with reserved chocolate chips (just pile in middle, they spread when baked).
• Bake at high temp, 5 minutes: Bake for 5 minutes in preheated oven. The higher temp kick will start the rise.
• Lower oven, 20 minutes: Turn oven DOWN to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Bake a further 20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes. When toothpick comes out clean they're ready. Don't confuse melted chocolate with raw batter!
• EAT! Rest in muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before devouring!

Notes

1. Self-raising flour can be used instead. If using, skip the baking soda.

2. Baking soda (bi-carb) gives the muffins a slightly better rise and makes the muffins a deeper chocolate colour (it’s a food science thing!). However, baking powder works perfectly fine – use 4 teaspoons.

3. Dutch process cocoa powder gives baked goods a more intense chocolate flavour and deep brown colour, pictured. Ordinary cocoa will work fine but expect a slightly paler colour and slightly less pronounced chocolate flavour.

4. Instant coffee granules – This age-old baking trick enhances chocolate flavour! Once baked, you can’t taste the coffee. It really works. Any old instant coffee granules fine here, no need to get premium (I use Moccona, a common Aussie brand).

5. Brown rather than white sugar – Keeps the crumb more moist. White sugar works just fine and makes the surface slightly crisper (which is appealing!) but the muffin doesn’t stay as fresh for as long.

6. Fridge-cold ingredients are ok! Usually my recipes insist on room temperature eggs and other fridge ingredients as they incorporate more easily into batters. In this recipe, fridge-cold is fine! Why? The batter is thinner so you need to whisk vigorously to incorporate anyway. But if you only have a room-temp egg, that’s fine too!

7. Over-mixing = Bad – As with all flour based cake and muffin batters, mix only as much as needed. The less you mix, the more tender your cake crumb will be. (Over-mixing by a lot → gluten in flour overworked → tougher crumb).

8. Don’t overfill the muffin case higher than 0.5cm / 0.2″ from rim because it will overflow rather than rising to a nice dome. This is because the batter is thinner than typical muffin batter (a reason why the muffin crumb is so moist).

9. Storage – All muffins are at their absolute prime freshly made, and these are no exception. However, the big difference here is that these are still moist and fresh for 3 days afterwards, even without warming them up! Once cool, store in an airtight container in the pantry. Beyond day 3, a 10 second microwave will resurrect them to warm, fresh perfection. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 345cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

He found a new bed.

The post Chocolate Muffins appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Yep, I’m that person who instantly thinks of Blueberry Muffins when blueberries are abundant and cheap. And you’re just 30 minutes away from these being a reality in your life. Incredibly moist and fluffy with golden domed tops, you’ll fall in love with one bite!

Blueberry Muffins

Come blueberry season every year, I make dozens and dozens of blueberry muffins. I know, I know, I’m so disappointingly predictable. You want me to make come up with something more gourmet and exciting, and here I am, just bringing you another boring muffin recipe.

Or…. are they??

No, this is not just another dull Blueberry Muffin recipe. These are the blueberry muffins of your dreams!

They’re magically soft and moist on the inside with a sweet golden dome. They are not overly sweet, they’re bursting with blueberries and once you make these, you will never look at another blueberry muffin recipe again!

Muffins are notorious for being dry and crumbly on the inside. But these are outrageously soft and moist!

Why muffins come out dry and crumbly

What you need for Blueberry Muffins

Here’s what you need (let’s pretend I didn’t forget EGGS in the photo!!!):

Just a couple of notes on the above:

• Blueberries – yes you can use frozen. Just mix them through frozen. Do not thaw – they will bleed in the batter;

• Buttermilk – this makes the muffin crumb beautifully tender and moist. But don’t worry if you don’t have any, it can be substituted with a lemon/milk mixture – see recipe notes. It is a very good substitute – the surface won’t be as smooth as pictured but the inside is just as tender;

• Baking soda is also known as bi-carb and it’s a stronger version of baking powder. It gives these muffins an extra lift. Can be substituted with more baking powder; and

• Butter is for flavour whereas oil makes the muffin moist. It’s one of the secrets to these Best Ever Blueberry Muffins!

How to make Blueberry Muffins

The making part is a 5 minute job if you use muffin liners and an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin:

• Whisk dry ingredients, whisk wet ingredients, then mix both together;

• Stir in blueberries;

• Scoop and dollop into muffin tin, then bake. Done!

These Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins are always best consumed on the day they are made. The next day and beyond, reheating them works wonders to make them ultra moist again (just 15 seconds in the microwave), as though they were freshly made.

Add a little sliver of butter, you’ll be in muffin heaven. In fact, you might just save these just so you can justify slathering on lashing of butter, just to experience that.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Moist Blueberry Muffins

Recipe video above. Buttermilk, both baking powder AND bicarb are the secret to really soft, fluffy muffins. Simpler muffin recipes are more dense and drier, though you can make a brown sugar muffin batter that's just as soft without buttermilk - use this Brown Sugar Apple Muffins recipe. (Note: the crumb colour is not as white as this muffin because of the brown sugar)

KEY TIP: Do not over mix the batter, a few lumps is ok! Overmixing = tough muffins.

Course Sweet Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword Blueberry muffins, blueberry recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 288cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda / bi carb soda (sub extra 3 tsp baking powder)
• 1 cup white sugar (caster, granulated or superfine)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk (Note 1)
• 60g / 4 tbsp butter , unsalted, melted
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature, lightly whisked (Note 2)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Blueberries

• 250g / 8 oz blueberries , fresh (~2 cups, Note 3)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (all oven types) (Note 4). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper patties.
• Whisk Dry: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl.
• Whisk Wet: In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs and vanilla.
• Combine Wet & Dry: Make a well in the flour bowl, pour in egg mixture. Mix until just combine - try not to stir more than 8 times. Some flour lumps in the batter is fine.
• Add blueberries: Stir through most of the blueberries - reserve some for topping.
• Fill muffin tin: Divide batter between paper cases. Top with remaining blueberries.
• Bake 1: Bake for 5 minutes, then turn oven down to 180°C/350°F.
• Bake 2: Bake for a further 13 minutes (fan) or 15 minutes (standard ovens), or until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
• Cool: Remove muffins from the muffin tin immediately onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature (warm is extra yum!)

Notes

1. Buttermilk substitute: Combine 1 cup room temperature whole (not skim) milk + 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes until curdled, then use per recipe. If milk is fridge cold, microwave for 30 seconds. The muffin is not quite as moist, but the difference is small.

2. Eggs - should be at room temperature so the cold eggs don't shock the batter and thicken it. Easy way to do this: stand in warm tap water for 10 minutes.

3. Blueberries - frozen works fine here too. Just use frozen - do not thaw as they bleed into the batter.

4. Oven types - For most sweet baking recipes I share, I provide different temps for different ovens i.e. fan forced / convection vs normal ovens. For this recipe, after I initially published it, I found that the same temp produces the same results.

5. Storage - Like most muffins, these are best consumed on the day. To store, keep them in an airtight container then reheat them either in the microwave, or cut in half then grill/broil them. A lashing of butter makes a world of difference too!

6. This recipe uses the same muffin batter used in my Moist Chocolate Chip Muffins.

7. Measurements: The measurements in this recipe apply to every country except Japan, please use the weights and ml provided, not cup measures.

8. Originally published October 2016. Updated with new photos and new recipe video in November 2019.

9. Nutrition per muffin.

Nutrition

Serving: 114g | Calories: 288cal | Carbohydrates: 45.8g | Protein: 5.2g | Fat: 9.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 218mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 20.3g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg

Blueberry madness

Just in case you too were unable to resist blueberry bargains at the store….

Extra Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry Bread Loaf

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Cake

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The post Blueberry Muffins (ultra moist!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Savoury Muffins are cheesy muffins studded with Mediterranean flavours –  olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and feta! Because these stay fresh for several days, they’re ideal as a food gift, a school fete, lunchbox idea, and making ahead for afternoon tea with friends or to serve in place of bread rolls at dinner.

Brilliant base recipe to make your own – just add 2 1/2 cups of whatever you want into the batter!

Savoury Muffins

When I need to make something quickly, whether it be friends dropping by on short notice, to take somewhere or a last minute food gift, I turn to these muffins more than any other sweet treat recipe I’ve shared. Ever.

And why it’s taken this long for me to share this remains a mystery – to both you and me. 😂

The beauty of these muffins are that:

• Super quick and easy to make – you probably have everything you need to make them right now;

• They stay moist and fresh for 3 to 4 days (which you can’t say about most muffins which tend to be quite dry the next day, unless warmed up);

• Highly versatile – put in any bits and bobs in your fridge, or things you find in cans and jars in your pantry. Think: ham, bacon, fresh and canned vegetables, pickles, olives, canned corn, roasted peppers, capers, sun dried tomatoes, pickled onions;

• Everyone loves them. I’ve had friends give my Choc Chip Muffins a miss. Nobody passes on these savoury muffins!

That moment when you break open the warm cheesy muffin and bite into an olive mixed in with some feta…. SO GOOD!

What you need for savoury muffins

Here’s what you need to make savoury muffins.

A few notes on some of the items:

• Baking soda (aka bi-carb) can be substituted with more baking powder (baking soda is basically baking powder on steroids);

• Flour can be white or wholemeal;

• Add ins – use 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of whatever you want. I’ve used feta, olives, sun dried tomatoes and roasted peppers because I have all those in my fridge, always! Think: diced vegetables (mmmm, garlic mushroom muffins anyone??), canned and jarred vegetables, antipasto type foods, and anything from the deli!

• Yogurt / sour cream – the sour element in these helps to activate the baking soda to give it a kick start so the muffins are lovely and soft with a tender crumb.

• No butter – butter adds flavour but oil makes baked goods moist. With all the flavour from the Add ins plus cheese, just using oil in the batter is fine!

How to make savoury muffins

No different to your favourite Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins!

• Whisk dry ingredients

• Whisk wet ingredients

• Add wet into dry ingredients

• Mix 8 times or less (excess mixing = tough cannonballs instead of soft fluffy muffins)

• Fold through 2 1/2 cups Add Ins of choice – I’ve used olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers (capsicum), feta and green onions.

• Plonk into muffin tin then bake!

More ideas for add ins

The beauty of this recipe is that you can literally add almost anything (savoury!) into the muffins. Here’s a few ideas:

• diced, sautéed vegetables – zucchini, corn, carrot, onion, potato. Cook them in a little butter, garlic, salt and pepper until softened;

• roasted vegetables – pumpkin, sweet potato!

• grilled vegetables – leftover homemade Marinated Grilled Vegetables would be 100% amazing!

• cauliflower or broccoli, cooked then roughly diced;

• ham or cooked bacon, diced;

• other deli and cooked meats (diced or shredded);

• canned corn, asparagus, mushrooms or other vegetables;

• any antipasto type deli goods – canned, jarred, in oil or brine;

• flaked salmon, trout, tuna (fresh cooked or canned drained); and

• leftover cooked meats.

I’m sure I’m missing some other obvious suggestions – if I am, leave them in the comments section below and I’ll update the recipe!

When to make these savoury muffins

Thinking back over the past 3 months, here are all the occasions for which I have made these muffins – and it’s a fair few times because they’re really handy being they are quick to make and stay fresh!

• Impromptu gathering with friends – whether at mine, at a friends’ place, in a park, anywhere!

• Gift for personal and work purposes – ideal because they are almost as good as freshly made 3 days later;

• For a fundraiser – everybody makes sweet things, but I swear, savoury ones are more popular;

• As an alternative to a basket of warm bread rolls at dinner;

• And the most frequent reason I make them? Speaking really frankly – when I’m trying to get or stay in someone’s good graces. 😂 I find these Savoury Muffins are highly effective for this purpose!

– Nagi x

PS Other things that I make for similar reasons (again, because they stay fresh for ages and are made in individual portions) include: caramel popcorn (bag them separately), brownies (wrap each one with paper and twine) or gluten free brownies, cornbread muffins and apple muffins. ❤️

Watch how to make it

Print

Mediterranean Savoury Muffins

Recipe video above. Savoury Muffins are cheesy muffins studded with Mediterranean flavours! These stay moist and fresh for several days, making them ideal for gift, make ahead for for afternoon tea , a school fete, or a lunchbox filler idea.

Course Baking, Snack

Cuisine Western

Keyword Cheese muffins, Savoury Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 260cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• Butter or oil spray , for greasing

Add Ins:

• 2 cups (200g) cheddar cheese , shredded (or other cheese)
• 75g / 2.5oz feta , crumbled*
• 1/2 cup green olives slices *
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes strips *
• 1/2 cup roasted peppers *, drained and chopped (capsicum)
• 1/2 cup green onions *, sliced

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups (300g) flour (plain / all purpose flour)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb soda (sub 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

• 1 egg (large, about 60g / 2 oz)
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk (full or low fat)
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yoghurt (Note 1)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (or any plain flavoured oil)
• 1 garlic clove , minced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/320°F fan).
• Brush a 12 hole standard muffin tin generously with butter
• Whisk Dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Mix 8 times.
• Add cheese, feta, sun dried tomato, capsicum, olives and green onion. Mix as few times as possible just to incorporate remaining bits of flour - no more than 7 big stirs (secret to soft muffs).
• Divide between 12 holes in muffin in (I use an ice cream scooper). Batter should be thick and fill muffin tin slightly mounded (see video)
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and crusty and spring back when touched in the centre.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm for optimum experience!

Notes

* These ingredients can be substituted with any add-ins of choice, 2 1/4 to 1/2 cups in total. I recommend using 1/4 to 1/2 cup of something oniony or fresh herbs eg onion, leeks, eschallots, green onion (scallions / shallots) or fresh parsley or chives.

1. Sour cream / yogurt - sub with 1 tsp lemon juice plus 1/4 cup milk. Let it stand for 10 minutes then use in place of sour cream in this recipe (you've just made buttermilk sub!)

2. Storage - allow to cool then keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. If you're in a very hot humid climate place (eg South East Asian), keep them in the fridge (because they are so moist, it can make things grow after a couple of days, sorry to gross you out!)

Unlike most muffins, these don't dry out the day after so you can eat them at room temperature and they are delish. But if you can pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds, they are even more amazing! (Also, I would never say no to a little smear of butter but it doesn't need it )

They can also be frozen for 3 months.

3. Nutrition per muffin.

Nutrition

Calories: 260cal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 522mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Today – Yakitori Team Lunch.

Dozer – in position.

The post Mediterranean Savoury Muffins appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.