The Muffins

The Muffin

This, it could be argued, is where it all began, that I realise I quite liked cooking. Baking was always something I steered clear of, thought it wasn't for me - yes, I'll say it, I thought it was a bit girly. 

But I love muffins, I really do. Breakfast or pudding, whenever you want, with whatever you want in them. And as I've said previously, if I love it, I have to be able to do it. 

So I found this great recipe on the BBC Good Food website for a muffin with a healthy makeover (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/359605/the-ultimate-makeover-blueberry-muffins). The original recipe was for blueberry muffins, that classic of the bakery, but you really can adapt it to anything. By using, for example, buttermilk instead of milk and oil instead of butter/fat, these muffins really aren't bad for you at all. 

The muffins I made this time round were cranberry, orange and nutmeg. 

Ingredients

5 tbsp rapeseed oil

225g self-raising flour

115g wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

zest 1 orange and juice

85g golden caster sugar

50g light muscovado sugar

1 tbsp nutmeg (I love nutmeg - add what you think best)

1 small very ripe banana with black skin (about 85g peeled weight)

1 egg

284ml pot buttermilk

225g fresh (can be frozen) cranberries

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Use 1 tsp oil to lightly oil a 12-hole muffin tin (or use paper cases). Mix both flours with the baking powder and orange zest. Reserve 1 tbsp caster sugar, then stir the rest into the flour with the muscovado. Add

Mash the banana well. In another bowl beat the egg, then stir in the banana, buttermilk and oil. Using a large metal spoon, very lightly stir into the flour mix, just to combine. Over-mixing will make the muffins tough. Toss in the cranberries and give just a few turns of the spoon to carefully stir them in without crushing. Add a couple of splashes or squeezes of orange juice. Stir in.

Spoon the mixture into the tin - each hole should be very full. Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden.

Mix the reserved caster sugar with some of the orange juice and some more nutmeg. When the muffins are done, remove from the oven, then brush with the sugar and orange mixture while they are still hot. Gently loosen the edges of each muffin with a knife, then leave in the tin for 15 mins to cool a little as they're very delicate while hot. Remove to a wire rack. Best eaten the day of making, but will keep for up to 2 days.