Apple Donut Muffins

These are one of those recipes that you just don't know what to name them. They look like muffins, but the mix is more like a scone dough. They are covered in cinnamon and sugar which explains the donut part of the name. Whatever you call them they are great, especially straight from the oven. You can use any apple you like, but a sweet apple is best. Made them twice in one week and received with rave reviews.

• I really do love peanut butter and chocolate. Check out Sugarlaws Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
• My Recession Kitchen has a Mocha Tart
• Not exactly baked but who doesn't love Ice Cream Cake. Check out this recipe at Zoe Bakes
• Simple flavours with Technicolor Kitchens Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Whipped Passionfruit Ganache
• Annie's Eats always has great recipes, try these Brownie Cookies

Apple Donut Muffins

Recipe from Pinoy Cook

Ingredients

2 apples

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground nutmeg

75g butter

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Peel and roughly chop the apples.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Rub the butter against the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Beat the egg. Pour in the milk and stir lightly. Add the chopped apple to the egg-milk mixture.

4. Pour the apple mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until blended. Do not overmix.

5. Form the batter into loose balls and place in the holes of a muffin pan.

6. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. While still warm roll in the sugar cinnamon mixture at let cool

Chocolate Glazed Donut Muffins

Mmmmm donuts. I love donuts. There really is no better food (I'm sure I've said that before about other things though!) But making them from scratch? Aint going to happen! So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to give it a try just to see how realistic it was. Well I'm not sure about it being like a donut but it is pretty good. The flavour and heaviness of the cake is great and the glaze is amazing. Definitely one to make again.

• Who doesn't need a simple chocolate cake recipe? Try this Pantry Chocolate Cake from Tortatebukura's Blog
• Love Joy the Baker. It has been a while since I have highlighted one of her recipes but thought it was time about with these Chocolate Espresso Cookie Sandwiches
• The Cooking Photographer shares Cake Mix Chai Spice Cookies
• Anything mini has got to be good right? Check out Brioche Buttons from A Bowl of Mush
• Simple is sometimes always best. The Repressed Pastry Chef has Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling

Chocolate Glazed Donut Muffins

Recipe from Elle's New England Kitchen

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

60g butter, melted

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup chocolate chips or melts

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon golden syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C. Grease or line muffin pan.

2. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Mix in the eggs, oil, butter, milk and vanilla. Divide batter between muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 18 minutes or until tested comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Glaze: Melt the ingredients together over low heat or in the microwave, stirring often.

Quick Mix Chocolate Muffins

Muffins are the best. They are like mini cakes and very easy to put together. Which was helpful the other night when I had to whip up two batches after a very busy day. Just throw all the ingredients in a bowl, mix until combined and into the muffin pan. Done. 

• I love peanut butter. Try out these Coconut Peanut Squares from Angie's Recipes
• Now here is Australia we don't really do the pb & j thing so its a new flavour to me. Might have to check out the Peanut Butter and Jam Bars at Our Best Bites
• One Perfect Bite has some great looking Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares
• Who doesn't love brownies? Sugar Plum has Cinnamon-Hazelnut Brownies that look at amazing

Quick-mix Chocolate Muffins

Recipe from taste.com.au

Ingredients

Melted butter, for greasing

200mls milk

125g butter, cubed

100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted

3 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup, lightly packed brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Brush a 12 medium muffin pans with the melted butter.

2. Place the milk, butter, chocolate and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until smooth.

3. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and use a fork to mix well.

4. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and usa a large metal spoon to fold in until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Spoon the mixture evenly into the greased muffin pans (I had leftover batter and made some mini muffins as well) and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until just cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. 

White Chocolate, Raspberry and Yoghurt Muffins

These are the other result of my baking frenzy on the weekend. I have made them before so knew they would be a winner. Again I missed out on my own baking and these ended up in the possession of friends (who are still arguing over them!).  Expect more raspberry recipes in the future too, because I now have a box of frozen berries to get through.

White Chocolate, Raspberry and Yoghurt Muffins

Unfortunately I don't know where I got this recipe, sorry 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 cup low-fat yoghurt

1 cup frozen raspberries

100g white chocolate, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin pan, or line with paper cases.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix batter until just combined. Divide the batter until just combined. Divide the batter among pan holes. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

3. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Light Chocolate Muffins

Wow, what a week. I mean really. If anyone had told me a week ago what the week would have entailed I would never have believed them. I mean just crazy crazy stuff happening.  In 4 weeks I am moving from my lovely comfortable life here in Australia, where I have lots of friends, a good job, great apartment and all my family, to the other side of the world.  In 4 weeks I am starting a new job in Missouri. Yes, Missouri!  I told you it was crazy.  Why? you ask, well the last two northern summers I have worked at a beautiful summer camp in Rolla, MO.  This place is my favourite place in the world, working there has been my greatest experience in life.  This year I had resolved myself to not going back, it was too hard, I couldn't keep giving up my life here in Sydney to work for 3 months in the US.  Then this week I got an email. The owner/director of the camp asked me if I would like to be the Assistant Director. All year. What?! Really?! This is my dream job, I've been wanting this for two years. I couldn't turn it down. But I have to be there the 25th May, that's 4 weeks away. 4 weeks!! It has been an emotional week, lots of thinking and decision making. Very mixed emotions, lots of excitement, but telling all my family and friends I'm moving across the world, for a long time, not exciting. The next few weeks and months will be interesting.  As far as the baking and blogging are concerned, I don't know.  In the short term there won't be much baking or blogging happening.  After the summer I will have much more time for baking, but I don't know how good my kitchen and baking supplies will be.  This blog may turn into a story of my journey, with some food and baking mixed in when I can. Only time will tell. 

Onto this weeks recipe. It is one I baked a while ago. I can't say they were great, but still a nice snack. When judging these muffins keep in mind that they are a light muffin, so the texture and flavour is different from your regular muffin. 

This weeks Sunday Baking round-up is back to basics. In light of my recent run of baking disasters I wanted to keep it simple.

• It doesn't get any easier then no-bake Buckeye Cookies from Sugarlaws
• Joe Pastry has been sharing us the history and baking secrets of Chocolate Chip Cookies. Try out Mrs Wakefields original Tollhouse Cookies
• Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake on the Hungry Mouse. Surely I can't mess that one up!
• A recipe that has been tried on many blogs, Home-made Oreos, this week it was on Beantown Baker.
• A recipe from Mom has got to be a winner. Try Mom's Banana Muffins from In Good Taste
• This week I found out my Adopted Blogger as part of Adopt-a-blogger.  So I add to this list The life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch who this week shared Yoghurt Brownies. 

Light Chocolate Muffins

recipe from taste.com

Ingredients

1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder

1/4 cup (30g) hot water

2 eggs, lightly whisked

1 egg white

1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar

200g skim milk natural yoghurt

140g apple fruit puree

1/3 cup (80ml) reduced fat milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

50g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups (265g) self raising flour

icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Brush twelve capacity muffin pans with melted butter to lightly greased.

2. Combine cocoa and hot water in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Add the egg, egg white, sugar, yogurt, apple puree, milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Stir in the chocolate until combined.

3. Sift flour over the mixture and use a large metal spoon to mix until just combined. Spoon evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven. Set aside in the pans for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

4. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Well I'm all moved in and loving the new place. I've got the kitchen sorted and was itching to get some baking done this weekend.  I had one disaster (more about that next week) but these muffins put me back on track. And the best thing?  The light in my new kitchen (and study) is great!!  I took heaps of photos as usual, prepared to delete the rubbish ones but there were too many great ones, so I'm sharing them all with you.  I can't wait to really experiment with my food photography as well as my food. 

 And now, Sunday Baking. I still do not have internet connection so have only been online twice this week. Which means I am way behind on my blogs. But I have seen some great recipes to share with you.

• Try this great looking Coconut Raspberry Cake from Culinary Cory
• Beautiful Southern-style Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes at Ezra Pound Cake
• More strawberries at Good Things Catered with Lady Strawberry Cake
• As usual I have to have at least some chocolate. Try Baileys Irish Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies at Culinary Concoctions of Peabody
• And s little chocolate in Mindy's Mouthful Cinnamon, Pear and Chocolate Galette

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Recipe from taste.com 

Ingredients

Melted butter, for greasing

1 cup flour

1 cup whole meal flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

75g butter, melted

1/2 cup (125mL) milk

2 tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease 12 x 1/3 cup muffin pans with melted butter or line with paper cases.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.

3. Combine melted butter, milk, honey, vanilla, eggs and mashed banana in a large jug. Whisk until well combined.

4. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients. Add egg mixture, stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into muffin pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, turn onto a wire rack to cool.