:: It's all in a Muffin ::

Meg’s Blueberry & Apple Muffins

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: freshly baked meg's blueberry & apple muffins ::

What a whirlwind of a week! I started back at work and I received my very first, & honoured, press mention in the Good Taste section of the Newcastle Herald in Anita Beaumont's article about local food bloggers. Congratulations to another blogger, Siobhan, who was also featured & a veteran of 5 years, showing us how it's done! The article also included a recipe of mine, my Blueberry & Apple Muffins, of which I happened to have made when they came around to interview me...  & after the GT exclusive I am now sharing them with you!

When I was whipping up a batch my quick & easy blueberry muffins every week, I was starting to think how I could make them that little bit healthier for my toddler, as blueberries & “b-apples” seemed to be his fruit of choice. This is typical of my son, blueberries were out of season & the price point was at a premium but lucky I was still able to buy frozen ones at the supermarket, which he also loves on his teething gums.

Substituting in one cup of wholemeal flour gives the muffins a beautiful country texture without them becoming too crumbly. The grapeseed oil is high in anti-oxidants (just as much as green tea) & plus adding an apple for some extra sweetness & moisture. Make no mistake; these are the new favourite muffin in our household & so simple to prepare!

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup of sour light cream

2 large eggs

1 large granny smith apple, grated

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup grapeseed (or other light flavoured) oil

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

pinch of sea salt, optional

:: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare your muffin tins with baking paper or by greasing them. Sift the plain flour, add wholemeal flour & baking powder into a bowl & then add the caster sugar. In another slightly larger bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, grated apple, lemon rind & oil & whisk until creamy. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture until it is just combined. Add blueberries & stir through once as you don’t want to change the colour of the mixture. Use two tablespoons (one to pick up your mixture and one to neatly push it off your spoon) to place the mixture into your prepared non-stick muffin trays. I sometimes like to line mine with crisp, home-made white liners or other quirky muffin liners. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cake tested with a skewer and beautifully golden on top.

:: Makes 18 average sized muffins

:: I scoop mine in with a x-small ice-cream scoop for consistant sized muffins ::

Kitchen Notes
:: Always remember for a soft, moist muffin that rises to their full potential, stir the ingredients until it is just combined. Overworking your mixture activates the gluten, making it tough and dry.
:: I have sometimes substituted the sour cream with natural yoghurt, or half-half when I haven’t had the complete ingredients in my fridge.
:: I also love to use freshly milled bio-dynamic unbleached plain flour. Due to the natural processes of this flour, use the full 2 cups of this flour in your recipe, no wholemeal needed.
:: I sometimes prepare 12 average sized patty tins & with the leftover batter I tend to make mini muffins for my toddlers, which are a hit. These also freeze well for snacks on the run. 
Top Tip: My son loves eating frozen muffins straight out of the freezer when he is teething. So soothing & cold!

:: freshly baked blueberry & apply muffins cooling by the window... perfection ::

Serve: The best way to serve your muffins is fresh out of the oven, after about 10-15 mins of cooling, with a generous slathering of real, salted butter that melts as you bite into it.

:: grapeseed oil; a natural source of goodness ::

Grapeseed Oil: Along with other heart-healthy oils such as Olive Oil & located in your supermarket & health food stores, Grapeseed Oil is starting to make a splash into pantries accross the world. Grapeseed Oil is a fantastic base for making cakes, such as carrot cake & muffins, instead of using traditional butter.  The health benefits outway other light flavoured oils by far, being high in antioxidants, omega-6 (good cholesterol), vitamin E & it also assists with athritis aches, improvement of circulation & general skin health. Grapeseed Oil has also been known to have cancer protection properties because of the high quantities of antioxidents & the fatty acids have also been known to assist with diabetic symptoms.

Grapeseed Oil has a moderately high smoke point of 216°C & has a clean light taste, ideal for cooking on the stovetop & baking.

So, the question is now, why wouldn't you cook with it?

Source: Informaition: The Health Benefits of Grapeseed Oil

Source: Adapted from my original Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Order in the Kitchen: make your own Parchment Paper Wrappers

Featured Muffin Liners: by Fox Run Craftsmen Australia, purchased at the Essential Ingredient

I would also love to see your Megann's Kitchen Creations/photos of recipes that you have made on Megann’s Kitchen Facebook!

:: Crumbly Tops ::

Apple & Pear Crumble Muffins

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: beautiful apple & pear crumble muffins ::

I have to say, these muffins are fantastic! Inspired by Bill Granger, they are quite delicious & I often make them for a healthier morning tea option. They don’t really taste like you are eating something that has wholemeal flour or oats in it, they are just plain yummy! Also great for breakfast on the go, when all of society is looking for a fast & healthier option these days, why not make these muffins instead?

Apple & Pear Muffin Mixture

1 cup plain flour
½ cup wholemeal plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup of oats
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plain yoghurt
½ cup grapeseed oil (or other light flavoured oil)
1 pear, peeled & diced
2 granny smith apples, grated

Crumble Topping

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup oats
2 tsp flour
½ tsp cinnamon

:: the healthy dry mixture ::

:: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare your muffin tins with muffin wrappers or by greasing them. Sift both flours, cinnamon and baking powder into a large bowl and add the oats & brown sugar. Mix to combine. In another bowl, add the yoghurt, eggs, & oil & whisk until smooth. Add to the flour mixture & stir until it is just combined. Fold through the pears & apple until just combined. Use two tablespoons (one to pick up your mixture and one to neatly push it off your spoon) to place the mixture into your prepared non-stick muffin trays. I like to line mine with crisp, white liners. Mix the ingredients for the crumble topping together in a small bowl & sprinkle over the top of your muffin mixture.

Bake for 14 minutes or until cake tested with a skewer and golden on top.

:: yoghurt mixture ::

Serve
:: The best way to serve your muffins is fresh out of the oven, after about 10-15 minutes of cooling, with a generous slathering of real butter that melts as you bite into it.

Kitchen Notes
:: Always remember for a soft, moist muffin that rises to their full potential, stir the ingredients until it is just combined. Overworking your mixture activates the gluten, making it tough and dry.

Muffin Options
:: I have sometimes substituted the natural yoghurt with sour cream or vanilla yoghurt, or half-half when I haven’t had the complete ingredients in my fridge.
:: You can also put ¼ cup chopped pecan nuts through the apple crumble mixture if you like a nutty flavour, yum!
:: For x-large muffins, bake 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes.

:: stir until just combined ::

:: golden brown & out of the oven ::

:: as always, I love mine with lots of salted butter ::

Healthy Oats
:: The health benefits of oats are undeniable. It is a significant source of fibre in your daily diet & can help with blood pressure, weight control, blood sugar levels and over a long time it has also been proven to reduce the risk of cancer. For further reading follow on to eatmoreoats.com

Source: Bill Granger’s Holiday - You can purchase this book by following the links provided

Donna Hay General Store: DonnaHay Parchment Cupcake Papers- Small
You can purchase these by following the links provided
Order in the Kitchen: Parchment Paper Wrappers

:: Muffin, Muffin who’s got the Muffin ::

Blueberry Muffins

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: blueberry muffins freshly baked and cooling :: 

I must say I have been spoilt with my exposure to blueberries. We owned a blueberry farm when I was growing up and so I was able to eat them handfuls at a time, at any time I wanted. During the summer months I was able to pick these beautiful blue beads from the bush at will and in winter our freezer was always stocked with at least 3 20kg boxes of them. Remember how Bubba on Forest Gump from the shrimp boat and he had everything shrimp? That was our family and blueberries & I looovvved them. I can’t stand the fact that I have to pay for a teeny tiny little punnet now. Sacrilege.

My love for blueberry muffins started as soon as we harvested our first crop and my mother would whip up a batch of traditional American blueberry muffins on the weekends. I remember eating them warm, with the berries still molten hot, & a generous slathering of butter, which was a must when it came to our household. The joy these muffins would bring to a small young child.... ooh, heaven!

This particular recipe comes from Donna Hay, but I will continue to post my favourite blueberry recipes, particularly in summer, & when I get permission from my mother! If you have a favourite, let me know!

2 cups of plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup of sour light cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

pinch of sea salt, optional

:: Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your muffin tins with baking paper or by greasing them. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the caster sugar. In another slightly larger bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, lemon rind & oil & whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture until it is just combined. Add blueberries & stir through once as you don’t want to change the colour of the mixture. Use two tablespoons (one to pick up your mixture and one to neatly push it off your spoon) to place the mixture into your prepared non-stick muffin trays. I sometimes like to line mine with crisp, white liners. Bake for 14 minutes or until cake tested with a skewer and golden on top.

:: just combine & spoon into prepared tins ::

:: add fresh or frozen blueberries to your mixture ::

:: With any leftover batter that doesn’t fit into the prepared tins I tend to make mini muffins for my toddler, which are a hit. His favourite word at the moment is “cake, cake, caaaaaaaaake”, & the smile that comes across his face when I hand him one of these treats is priceless. These also freeze well for snacks on the run. 

:: toddler sized blueberry muffins- great for snacks ::

Serve: The best way to serve your muffins is fresh out of the oven, after about 15 mins of cooling, with a generous slathering of real, salted butter that melts as you bite into it.

Kitchen Notes: I have sometimes substituted the sour cream with natural yoghurt, or half-half when I haven’t had the complete ingredients in my fridge.

:: Always remember for a soft, moist muffin that rises to their full potential, stir the ingredients until it is just combined. Overworking your mixture activates the gluten, making it tough and dry.

Blueberries: It seems blueberries have every health benefit you could want in a tiny fruit. They are an antioxidant powerhouse, are cardio protective, help protect against macular degeneration and help with vision in general, you have a better learning capacity and lower stress levels while eating blueberries and are less likely to develop various cancers. Blueberries are high in vitamin C, manganese, dietary fibre & Vitamin E.

It is noted due to oxalates in blueberries that if you have untreated gallbladder or kidney problems, they are best avoided in large quantities.

Source: Blueberry Information: World Healthiest Foods Web Site

:: a well used recipe from modern classics 2 ::

Source: Donna Hay Modern Classics: Book 2 at a discount price, delivered free (save 32%)

Donna Hay General Store: Purchase Donna Hay Parchment Cupcake Papers- Small
Order in the Kitchen: make your own Parchment Paper Wrappers

:: Oh So Good ::

Chocolate Yummies

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

double chocolate fudgy yummies - oh so good!

These little chocolate pieces of goodness are simply delightful. They are indulgent, yet not too much because they are so tiny & they will leave your guests wanting more. The white chocolate chunks inside actually soften the blow of the fudgy richness, but for extra impact, serve slightly warm. Yummy!

200g dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

100g white cooking chocolate, chopped into small chunks

250g ‘lurpak’ salted butter, cubed

1¾ cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1¼ cups plain flour, sifted

¼ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 160°C. Put the butter & broken chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, & stir constantly until mixture is completely smooth. Sit on the bench to cool slightly whilst you prepare your other ingredients.

Place the sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour & baking powder in a bowl and stir until just combined. Add the chocolate mixture, stir, then add the white chocolate chunks and mix well. Spoon the mixture into prepared mini muffin tins, lined with mini muffin liners. Bake for 20mins; keep in mind that they are meant to be soft & fudgy in the middle.

delightful baking cases

Style: I put a drop of melted chocolate on the top to hold the sweet Donna Hay pastel pink and blue sugar pearls in place, then inserted them into gorgeous Robert Gordon pink and blue spotted mini patty cases.

sugar pearls add the final touch

Source: Donna Hay Sugar Pearls http://www.donnahay.com.au/shop-online/food/sugar-pearls

Robert Gordon Patty Mini Cases http://www.robertgordonaustralia.com/