Spiced Cranberry Orange Muffins

This Christmas has been such a busy one so far! One of the busiest ever, I think. But then again, I probably say that every year! It is nice to be busy and have a lot of things to do. I just wish I had a few more hours in the day so I could get some sleep!

Well, enough of the 'if only's and on to these muffins. Cranberries, spice snd citrus zest. These muffins are just so Christmassy! I think they'd be a perfect addition to the Christmas breakfast or brunch table. My little girl insisted they we use colored sanding sugar but feel free to use plain old regular granulated sugar. 

I used frozen cranberries to make these, and the tartness of the cranberries, the sweetness of the batter and the flavor and aroma of the citrus and spice are just awesome together!

Fresh Cranberry Orange Muffins 

Adapted from this recipe on food.com

Ingredients 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt  

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

A dash of freshly grated nutmeg 

1/4 tsp dried ginger powder 

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 large egg 

Zest of one orange 

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 

1/4 cup venerable oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by lining each cup with a paper liner. 

2. In a large bowl, combine all the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir well to combine. 

3. Add the frozen/fresh cranberries into the flour mixture and toss well to coat the berries. If any of the berries are extra-big, you could halve them before adding them in. 

4. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, orange zest, orange juice and the oil. Whisk together. 

5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Don't over-mix, or you'll be left with tough muffins. 

6. Spoon the muffin batter into the 12 cup muffin tray, dividing the batter evenly.

7. Sprinkle the tops of the muffin with some sugar. 

8. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until the tops of the muffins spring back when touched and they just start to brown. 

While at first I thought these muffins are a little too sweet, it just balanced well since the unsweetened fresh/frozen cranberries are so tart. The texture is lovely, and the crunch of the sugar top is very nice!

Oh and I must mention that they smell lovely while baking! Definitely a recipe that I would recommend.

Here's wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful day with lots of love, laughter, music, good and presents! But most of all - I hope you get a chance to reflect on what Christmas really means.

Isaiah 9:6 - For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Secret Recipe Club: Tomato Jam

When I received my assignment for Secret Recipe Club for this month, I must admit was a little confused. I mean - how do you choose ONE recipe from a blog that's chockfull of awesome recipes? And even while I was lolling about in confusion, she went ahead and posted this tempting chowder recipe. Thanks for adding to the confusion, Julie!

This month, the blog I was assigned to cook from was the wonderful A Little Bit of Everything. Julie has been blogging since 2009 and has almost 750 posts on her blog. Yes, you read that right. Seven hundred and fifty! Is it any surprise that I found it hard to choose something?

This recipe was one that I passed over the first time because I thought it was too simple. But even after I bookmarked a few other yummy ones - including a cranberry-jalapeno jam which sounded divine, my mind kept going back to this one. And I am so glad I decided to go with my gut!

It was my first time ever making a tomato jam, and wow - it really is something! I stayed true to Julie's recipe with only a few minor adjustments - a little less sugar than she used, and some extra acid because the tomatoes I used just weren't tart enough. Apart from that, I stuck to Julie's recipe and instructions and it was just delicious!

And with Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure your friends would love receiving this beautiful red jam in pretty little jars with cute ribbons around them!

I must also mention that I only made half the recipe, using 2.5 pounds of ripe tomatoes. 

Tomato Jam

Slightly adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

2.5 pounds/1.1kg of ripe tomatoes

1 1/3 cup white sugar

4 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp red dried chilli flakes

Method

1. Wash, core and chop the tomatoes fine. I used a food processor. (If you're the kind of person who is bothered by tomato skins, you can blanch and peel the tomatoes. The skin doesn't bother me. So I skipped that.)

2. In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Stir together and set the saucepan on a stove on medium heat.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

4. Lower the temperature and allow the jam to cook on low heat for about an hour or more. You will need to stir it and scrape down the sides at regular intervals. The frequency of stirring must increase as the jam gets thicker. You don't want it to catch and burn. 

5. When the jam is thick, mine reduced to less than one-third of the original volume, the mixture is sticky and glossy. 

6. If you're using to bottling and canning, follow your usual procedure to store this yummy jam. Or you could just allow the jam to cool, transfer to an airtight jar.

I store most of my jams and preserves in the refrigerator, and this one went into the fridge too.

I loved the flavor of this jam. It is sweet, tart, spicy and has a lovely sticky texture that keeps you licking your fingers. There are so many things I can think of to do with this jam - my brother suggested something with goat cheese. A tart maybe? I was thinking it would be awesome with feta or haloumi too. 

We made a simple grilled cheese with cheese, tomato jam, and tabasco sauce for added heat. It had lovely flavor and we enjoyed it! 

Thank you Julie for a lovely recipe and for your awesome blog posts. I've bookmarked quite a few including this delicious sounding Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp. I look forward to getting to know you better as we cook together in SRC! Until next time! :)

To see more yummy recipes from Group B of the Secret Recipe Club, visit the link below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Jaffa Cake Muffins

I have never liked the combination of orange and chocolate. But when I saw this muffin recipe, I was intrigued by the unusual method of preparation, and the rave reviews that I read. And I just had to make them!

And hey - they're really good! The thing I liked the most is the fresh orange hit that you get from this muffin. I HATE fake orange flavoured stuff. Orange candy. Orange soda snd orange flavoured anything actually. But fresh oranges are awesome in my book. And when you read this recipe, you'll see that this is as fresh as it gets! 

Jaffa Cake Muffins

Adapted from this recipe 

Ingredients 

1 whole orange, quartered and deseeded 

1/2 cup fresh orange juice 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar 

1 tsp baking powder 

3/4 tsp baking soda 

A pinch of salt

3oz or 85g of mini dark chocolate chips 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tray by greasing the cups or lining with paper muffin cups. 

2. In a blender jar, purée the quartered orange - peel and all, and the orange juice until completely smooth. 

3. Add the butter and the egg and blitz for about 20 seconds until smooth. Transfer this mixture into a medium sized bowl. 

4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5. Add this dry mixture to the purée and mix until completely combined. 

6. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. 

7. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. 

8. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and spring back when touched. 

9. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing and serving. 

The intense orangyness is really surprisingly good. The original recipe calls for more sugar and when I tried that I found it way too sweet for us. So the next time I made it, I cut down the sugar by a third and found it a lot better. The chocolate chips also add to the sweetness. 

These muffins aren't dense. They're very cakey and light. Honestly, I prefer a dense muffin and I even had difficult referring to this as a muffin for a while. But whatever you choose to call it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. 

If you are a fan of this orange-chocolate combination, you should totally try this recipe. And even if you're like me, and aren't a fan, you should still give it a try. You might be surprised. I was!

Until next time :) And watch out for my next Secret Recipe Club post on Monday! Cheers :)

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

I've been making quite a lot of nice breakfast recipes lately, but just haven't been able to photograph them! 

My favorite were these yummy pistachio and cranberry scones. They were so good that even though I made a huge batch and froze them, they were gone within 4 days and then my husband complained when he realized there weren't any left over on the fifth day! That's how good they were. And I just didn't find the time to get a picture. Oh well! I'll just have to make them again. 

When I made these muffins, I just insisted on taking 10 minutes to take a few quick pictures! And I'm glad I did. We loved these muffins and I am sure you will too!

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Adapted from Tyler Florence's Banana Nut Muffin Recipe 

Ingredients 

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp flaxseed meal

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

2 large overripe bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/3 cup chopped walnuts 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F and prepare 6 large or 8 regular muffin cups in your tray by either greasing them or by lining them with paper muffin cups. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and flaxseed meal. Stir together and set aside. 

3. In a medium bowl, peel and mash the bananas until fairly smooth. 

4. Add in the sugar and whisk until combined and the mixture is a little frothy. 

5. Beat in the egg, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. 

6. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the banana mixture. 

Stir until just combined. Don't over-mix. 

7. Stir in the walnuts and fold gently till incorporated. 

8. Spoon the batter into 6 large or 8 regular muffin cups. If there are any empty muffin cups in your tray, pour a little water into each to keep them from warping. 

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until ththe tops spring back when touched gently and are lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

These muffins stay good at room temperature for a day but after that, I have like put them into the fridge or freezer. They're quite moist with the bananas and I would think they'd go back quite quickly.

These muffins are loaded with flavor. I was a little worried that they might be too sweet but they were just right! The only thing I would do different  the next time around would be to throw in some tart dried cranberries. I think they would be divine in there. Ooh ooh or maybe some chocolate chips! Chocolate is healthy too right? So that would work!

Until next time :)

Cranberry Hazelnut Coffee Cake

This is my favorite cake at the moment. It is PERFECT. I don't want those fancy cakes with fondant. I don't want a pretty cake with frosting. Heck, I don't even need a glaze. This is my kinda cake. Loaded with flavor, texture and just so much goodness!

I baked it in the evening yesterday, with the intention of cake for breakfast on Saturday morning. Saturday breakfasts are usually special around here. If I know everyone has the day off, I usually make something indulgent. So, my plan was that I would make the cake on Friday evening, photograph it in the morning when the light was good, and then serve it for breakfast. Well, we all know about best laid plans...

One look at the cake, and my husband wanted a slice for dessert after dinner. My daughter wanted a nibble and I was drooling every time I walked past the cake platter. So I did what I had to. Made the ultimate sacrifice. Who needs natural light!!? I just clicked a few shots and we dug in. It is an amazing cake! We had it for breakfast again in the morning....

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature for this recipe. You can replace the heavy cream and yogurt mixture with sour cream. I didn't have sour cream, and this worked great for me! If you're using sour cream, just use one 8 oz tub.

Cranberry Hazelnut Coffee Cake
Adapted from this recipe on myrecipes.com
Ingredients
115 grams or 1/2 cup heavy cream
115 grams or scant 1/2 cup natural yogurt
1 tsp vinegar

185 grams or 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

25 grams or 3 tbsp corn starch
200 grams or 1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
70 grams or 5 tbsp butter, softened
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, cleaned and halved

Streusel Topping:
30 grams or 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 tbsp flax seed powder
50 grams of 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
15 grams or 1 tbsp butter, melted
A pinch of salt

Method
1. Prepare a 9" spring form cake tin by lining the base with grease proof parchment paper and brushing the sides with melted but or spraying with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, heavy cream and vinegar. Set aside while you get the rest of the ingredients assembled.
3. Combine all the streusel topping ingredients and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
5. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture. Whisk to combine.
6. In a large bowl, combine the remaining yogurt mixture and the soft butter. Mix well using a whisk or an electric mixer. Beat for 3-4 minutes. 
7. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
8. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix in until just combined.
9. Add 1/2 the egg mixture and mix till combined.
10. Add another third of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
11. Add the remaining egg mixture and incorporate.
12. Add the last of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
13. Into your prepared tin, spoon half of the cake batter and spread it in an even layer.
14. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter with all halved cranberries.
15. Cover the cranberries with the remaining cake batter and spread it evenly.
16. Sprinkle the top of the cake with all the streusel topping.
17. Bake in your preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is risen and golden and a skewer entered into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will fall a little as it cools. 
18. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before releasing from the spring-form tin.
19. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This cake tasted best when it was slightly warm. I had no complaints the next morning either. The cake was amazingly delicious the next day too. Every one, including my 20 month old who doesn't have a sweet tooth, loved it.

The cake is not too sweet. Light, soft cake, tart berries and crunchy nuts - a taste of heaven! The tart cranberries and the crunchy hazelnuts and the nuttiness of the flax meal makes for an amazing combination of textures and flavors.

If you have company coming over, or are planning a brunch or an indulgent breakfast, this is the recipe for you. Make this and please write to me here or on my Facebook page, share a picture with me, and let me know how much you loved it! I just know you'll love it! Until next time :)

Apple & Oat Muffins

Ah - muffins! My favorite of all baked goods. I don't think it is a secret how much I love muffins. I mean, just look at all the muffin recipes on my blog! And I have so many more muffin recipes I want to share with you.

Today, I want to share a recipe for a simple and healthy muffin recipe. Flavorful, really moist and laced with tart apple and warm spice - I just love this one.

Apple & Oat Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Adapted from this recipe on Taste.com.au
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
3/4 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup rolled oats, plus 2 tbsp for topping
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups natural yoghurt, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100 ml canola oil
1-2 crisp apples, peeled, cored and grated (I used one Granny Smith and one Red Delicious)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line your muffin tray with liners, or grease & flour them.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and the 1/2 cup of oats.
3. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs.
4. Add the yoghurt, vanilla and oil and whisk well till smooth.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir just until combined. Don't over-mix it or you'll be stuck with tough muffins.
6. Stir in the sliced apple.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup not more that 3/4 full.
8. Sprinkle the reserved oats over the tops of the muffins.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and lightly golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.Allow the muffins to cool down till they're just warm before serving.

As in the case of most muffin recipes, these muffins freeze great!

Because we had an early day the next day, the previous evening, I grated the apples and refrigerated them in an airtight box. I also combined all the dry ingredient in a jar. In the morning, I let the apples sit out for 20 minutes while I got the batter mixed and the oven preheated. I just stirred together the wet ingredients and added it to the dry ingredients, stirred in the apples, filled, baked and the muffins were done in 20 minutes.

Until next time!! :)

Healthy Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumb

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love breakfast baking!

This recipe is pretty special. Awesome for breakfast, tea time or just anytime you feel like snacking on something sweet. This recipe happened because I was stuck with a couple of really overripe bananas and I wanted to do something new with them. Those blackish, smelly overripe bananas are the best, aren't they?

The recipe looks a like it has a lot of ingredients, but once you've assembled all of them, the cake comes together easily. If you want it with fewer ingredients, and not as healthy, I've linked to the original recipe below. 

Healthy Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumb
Adapted from this recipe on Food Network

Ingredients 

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat bran

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 

1/4 tsp freshly grated cinnamon

1 scant tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1/2 cup olive oil (NOT extra virgin)

2 tsp vanilla 

2 large eggs

2 large overripe bananas, peeled & mashed well

1 cup frozen blueberries 

Crumb topping 

4 tbsp all purpose flour 

1 heaped tbsp wheat bran

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp sugar 

2 tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Method 

1. In a large bowl, combine the flours, bran, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside. 

2. Whisk the oil and sugars together in medium bowl. 

3. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs. 

4. Add the mashed banana and mix in well. 

5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. 

6. Stir well until just combined. 

7. Stir in the blueberries. 

8. Pour or spoon the batter into a 7 inch round cake tin that has been greased and floured, and the bottom lined with a parchment paper circle. I used a disposable cake pan this time and so I didn't bother with any of that. 

9. Combine the flour, sugars and butter for the crumb topping in a small bowl. Using the tips of your fingers, work the mixture until it resembles fine crumbs. Don't knead or press the mixture together. You want it to be a light and crumbly. Gently mix in the chopped pecans 

10. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the cake in an even layer. 

11. Bake in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. It may take a little longer depending on your oven. 

12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding, gently slicing and serving. 

This cake is just so amazingly moist! When I cut the cake, the knife went through like a hot knife through butter! At that point, I was sure I was cutting through raw cake. Cooked cake couldn't be THAT soft! But it sliced beautifully, was cooked all the way through and was just so good!

The sweetness was also just right! The crumb is slightly sweeter than the cake and it all balances it out perfectly. The bursts of blueberry throughout the cake is just amazing!

All this, plus the fact  the whole wheat flour, bran, bananas, berries and nuts are so good for you, means that you must make this for your family soon! You won't regret it. I promise!

Peach & Apricot Muffins

With peaches and apricots in every fruit market, can you blame me for stocking up. We had a few cobblers and a few baked peaches. We had a few more 'experimental' dishes that I won't elaborate upon. And finally I had to put the overripe peaches and apricots into the fridge where they were promptly forgotten for another 4 days. 

When I opened that box of fruit, the overripe fruit was so aromatic! It was breakfast time, and so I decided I would use them for my favorite breakfast dish or course, muffins. I guess you could say my philosophy is 'when in doubt about what do with it, use it in a muffin'! This time, it paid off!

Peach & Apricot Muffins

Loosely adapted from this recipe from allrecipes.com
Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp melted butter 

1 large egg

3 tbsp buttermilk or milk (I used whey)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1 cup chopped peaches & apricots, peeled, pitted & chopped 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 

2. Prepare a 6 cup jumbo muffin tin, or an 8 cup regular sized muffin tin, by lining with paper liners.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside. 

4. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, butter, egg, buttermilk, sugars & vanilla. 

5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil mixture. Stir gently until almost combined. 

6. Add the chopped fruit and stir to combine completely. Do not overmix. 

7. Spoon each prepared muffin cup up to 3/4 of the way. 

8. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the top of the muffin springs back when touched, and is starting to brown. 

9. Remove from the oven, allow to rest in the pan for a while, remove from the pan and serve warm. 

As you can tell, I used a combination of peaches and apricots, but I think this recipe would work well with most stone fruit. Just peaches. Just apricots. Nectarines, plums, cherries - just go wild!

We loved this recipe. The sugar and spice really brought out the flavor of the fruit and had us coming back for more. 

I thought the muffin may be slightly too sweet because it is more sugar than I usually use in a muffin recipe. I was wrong! It all balanced out beautifully and my husband insisted I freeze the last 2 muffins so he could have them for breakfast later in the week. 

Go make this muffin! 

Until next time <3

Orange-Walnut Scones

I just love baking in the morning. Especially when no one else is up yet. These days, the kids don't allow me that alone time because they're up along with me at 5:30am these days. So I had two gorgeous assistants to help me with this recipe.

To be honest, only one was actually assisting me. The other just hung on to my leg as I walked around the kitchen trying to get breakfast together. I wish I had someone to take a picture. She was literally hanging on with her little arms around my leg while I moved around. It wasn't comfortable, but let's just call it weight-training!

Aimee helped a lot with stirring the flour mixture, breaking the walnuts into smaller pieces and of course, doing the all-important sprinkle of sugar. What would I do without her! <3

These scones are really yummy. I was considering throwing in some chocolate chips at first but I'm so glad I went the walnut route. The flavors were just amazing!

Orange-Walnut Scones

Makes 6-9 scones

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup castor sugar, plus 1.5 tbsp extra for sprinkling 

1/2 tsp salt

Fine zest of 1 whole orange 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

113g/1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small cubes 

4 tbsp fresh orange juice 

3 tbsp whole milk 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir well to combine. 

3. Stir in the zest of one whole orange. 

4. Add the cubed, cold butter and work it into the flour mixture using just your finger tips. Working gently, rub in all the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. 

5. Gently stir in the chopped walnuts. 

6. In a small cup, combine the orange juice and whole milk.

7. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the orange juice mixture. 

8. Mix gently until the dough comes together but is slightly crumbly. Do not knead! 

9. Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking tray and flatten into a 3/4 inch thick square or circle. 

10. Using a damp knife, cut through the scone mixture to mark the pieces. This will make it easy for you to break off pieces when baked. Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining castor sugar. 

11. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the surface of the scone is dry and springy to the touch and the base is golden brown. 

12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before gently cutting the pieces apart. 

13. Serve warm with accompaniments of your choice. 

My choice of accompaniments for this scone would be a thin spread of a nice marmalade and a generous dollop of clotted cream. Now if only clotted cream was easily available here. Sigh. 

The flavor of these scones is just right. Strong but not overpowering fresh orange flavor, an amazing buttery flavor that only real butter can give, and toasty walnuts that add some crunch texture to an otherwise melt-in-the-mouth scone. The sugar on top adds a little bit of extra sweetness because the scone itself isn't too sweet. 

This makes a small batch and it was just enough for us for one breakfast. We really enjoyed these scones, and I think it will be a hit with your family too!

Until next time... <3

Cherry & Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Between a bout of food poisoning, an awful wisdom tooth extraction and the mayhem of daily life, I've hardly been able to blog. Sometimes I wonder how the other bloggers manage to post so many times a week! Some even manage one post a day! Kudos to you guys! 

This morning I decided I would share our breakfast with you. You see, the cherries are still calling out to me every time we go to the fruit market. They're so flavorful and we've been eating a lot of them this season! I made crumbles, a cobbler and the cherry brown butter squares I shared earlier. 

These muffins are a great way to use and showcase the cherries. The combination of the sweet-tart cherries and the dark chocolate is really awesome. These muffins will keep you coming back for more! 

This is a small batch recipe but can be multiplied quite easily!

Cherry & Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Loosely adapted from here

Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/6 cup light brown sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 

A dash of cinnamon powder 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 cup yoghurt 

1/4 cup milk 

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 tbsp vegetable/canola oil 

1/2 cup pitted fresh/frozen cherries

1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks/chips

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line a six-cup muffin tray with paper liners. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt & cinnamon powder. Stir to combine and set aside. 

3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, yoghurt, egg, vanilla and oil. 

4. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Fold gently to combine. Do not over mix. 

5. Add the cherries and chocolate. Mix gently to distribute evenly. 

6. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin cups. 

7. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a generous dusting of light brown sugar.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

My husband particularly liked the way the cherries held their own in this muffin. I was a little afraid the dark chocolate would overpower them, but I was wrong! The cherry flavor was intense and really yummy!

The brown sugar sprinkle on the top was really done very impulsively, and I loved how that turned out too. Gave the muffins a beautiful crunch! 

Make these muffins while the cherries are still around. I'm planning to put a stash of fresh cherries in the freezer so we can enjoy this and other baked cherry treats when they're not around anymore. 

Until next time... <3

Brown Butter Cherry Squares

I have been so exhausted lately. I feel there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to get done! But I still find time to bake. :D

Last week, when we went shopping at the fruit and vegetable market, I saw the most amazing looking cherries! Though there were a little expensive, I just couldn't resist and I bought a big box of them!

Most of the time, when we buy fresh cherries, we just wash them and eat them. Really - there's no better way to enjoy fruit. But, this time I decided I would save some to make this recipe I've had bookmarked for a while now. 

The 'brown butter' in the title is enough to get my attention, really. But throw in some fresh cherries and you've sold it! 

Brown Butter Cherry Squares

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

For the crust

100g salted butter, melted 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour

For the filling

Scant 1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

A pinch of salt 

1/4 cup flour 

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

450g ripe, fresh cherries 

Method 

For the crust

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 

2) Lightly grease an 8x8 square pan and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil. 

3) In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and mix to form a dough. 

4) Press the dough into the lined pan to form a even crust. 

5) Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden and puffy. Prepare the filling during this time. Once the base is ready, remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Keep the oven on. 

For the filling 

1) Wash the cherries and remove the stems and pits. Set aside. 

2) In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat while stirring frequently. Keep cooking until the butter turns golden brown and smells beautifully nutty. Don't overbrown, or you will have burnt butter. Set aside to cool. 

3) In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla till light. 

4) Add the flour and mix till completely incorporated. 

5) Mix in the slightly cooled brown butter. 

6) Arrange the prepared cherries on the pre-cooked base. 

7) Pour the filling over the cherries. 

8) Bake for 30-40 minutes until set and a cake-tester inserted into the center comes clean. 

9) Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan. 

10) Remove from the pan using the aluminum foil/parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1" or 2" squares. 

11) Store any leftovers in an airtight box in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. 

I really enjoyed this one. It was very different from anything I have ever eaten. Sort of like a baked custard tart but with more complex flavors. The buttery base, the nutty-custardy filling studded with juicy sweet-tart cherries was just sublime. And the textures were all there too. 

As you can probably tell, mine weren't as pretty and neatly cut as the ones on Smitten Kitchen, but I'm certain they tasted as brilliant as hers. 

I loved this one, and I hope you do too!!

Until next time :)

Healthy Carrot Breakfast Muffins

Before we had kids, I was someone who never really considered breakfast to be important. Now I breakfast is one of my favorite meals.

I'm always looking for new and interesting muffins. All of us enjoy muffins and I make muffins at least twice a week (during non-hectic weeks!). Personally, I prefer the savory muffins, but haven't been able to sell it to my daughter. The kids love their sugar hit. 

These muffins are packed with goodness and once you have the carrot and fruit grated/chopped, the muffins come together quite quick! 

Not too sweet, really moist and bursting with flavor, I think you would really enjoy this one! My favorite part of the muffin is the bits of pineapple. Such a juicy burst of flavor in the mouth. Super yum!

Healthy Carrot Apple Muffins

Loosely adapted from Joy the Baker 

Ingredients 

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 whole wheat flour

3 tbsp oat germ/wheat germ 

1/4 cup rolled oats 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

A generous grating of nutmeg 

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar 

1/3 cup oil 

1 small apple, peeled, cored & grated

1 1/2 cups grated raw carrots 

1/4 cup chopped pineapple (I used canned)

Walnut halves to garnish 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, oats and oat/wheat germ. Stir well and set aside. 

3. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and sugar and whisk for a few minutes. 

4. Add in the grated apple, grated carrot and chopped pineapple. Whisk to combine. 

5. Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined and no dry flour mixture is visible. 

6. Spoon/scoop the muffin mixture into your lined muffin tray. Top each muffin with a walnut half. 

7. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the top of the muffin springs back to the touch and a toothpick/cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve warm. 

These muffins are very reminiscent of an old-fashioned carrot cake - moist, fluffy and with that lovely hit of spice. 

I love that these are healthy and that my kids are getting whole grains, fiber, nuts, a vegetable and a couple of fruits in one shot. I think you could even throw in chopped nuts and dried fruit to up the nutrition, flavors and texture. 

Definitely a keeper, this one! 

Until next time... 

Awesome Zucchini Bread

I'm always thinking up interesting things to make for Saturday morning breakfast. It's one of those things that has become a tradition in my head. All the other days of the week, we eat something simple like porridge, toast or cereal, but Saturday's the day we generally eat the muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, waffles and the other interesting baked goods. Sometimes, I make the special stuff mid-week too, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I serve porridge or cereal on a Saturday.

This week, when I spotted beautiful looking zucchini at the supermarket, I knew what we were having for Saturday morning breakfast. It had to be moist zucchini bread. I've made this recipe before and it never fails to please. 

I usually do a walnut zucchini bread, maybe with some raisins or chocolate chips thrown in, but this time I pulled out all the stops! This zucchini bread is loaded with cinnamon chips, 70% dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips, dried cranberries and walnuts. And the resulting bread was insanely good!

My kids loved it and between the four of us, we were kinda fighting over the last slice. So so good!

Awesome Zucchini Bread

Loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients 

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon powder 

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 medium eggs

1 scant cup vegetable oil, or any neutral flavored oil 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

3 packed cups grated zucchini

Optional:

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used 1/2 cup)

Upto 1 cup add-ins of your choice

(I used 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/4 cup cinnamon chips & 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries. 

Other options include any dry fruit - figs, dates, raisins etc. and any kind of chocolate chips or chunks you fancy!)

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. 

2. Grease and flour a large loaf tin. The non-stick tin I used measures 9 1/2" x 5 1/2". If using a standard 8x4 tin, I would divide the batter between two tins. 

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon powder, freshly grated nutmeg, baking powder & baking soda. Stir well to combine. 

4. If using any nuts or add-ins, stir them into the flour mixture. Set aside. 

5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs for 2-4 minutes. 

6. Add the oil, sugar, vanilla and grated zucchini. Stir well to combine. 

7. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix until completely incorporated and no dry flour pockets are visible. 

8. Pour the batter into your baking tin(s). Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean 

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. 

The slices of this loaf disappeared fast. Chock-full of flavors - mildly sweet, super moist zucchini bread studded with morsels of sweet and bitter chocolate, melts cinnamon chips, tart cranberries and crunchy, toasty walnuts - who can resist?

Whether you're a zucchini bread fan, someone who hasn't had good experiences with zucchini bread in the past, or someone who's never ever tried zucchini bread - please make this loaf. You won't regret it!