Apple Crumble Muffins

Today I made Apple Crumble Muffins


One of my favourite ever Autumn desserts has to be the majestic Crumble. There's something so comforting about the combination of the warm, sweet and tangy Apples and the crunchy Crumble topping. I always tend to bake more with Apples during the Autumn months. There's nothing like a nice warm Apple or Rhubarb Crumble for dessert or afternoon tea on a cold wet day. I'm also certain there's nothing comparable to a homemade muffin to start the day, it's a bonus if they're healthy. It's impossible to find a healthy muffin out there so I normally just make my own. Not to mention the fact they make my house smell like bakery. I just wish I could bottle that smell and spray it round the house when people come over.

These Homemade Low Fat muffins are super soft and fluffy with a crumbly, nutty, sweet top  and are packed full of healthy ingredients like rolled oats, fresh apples and crunchy nuts. Instead of Butter or Oil I use Apple Sauce to give the muffins their moisture. I also use as little sugar as possible to keep the fat and sugar levels as low as possible. The key to getting the muffins so high is a nice thick batter, filling the mixture right up to the top, not over- working the mixture and the cooking temperature - You want to start with a nice high temperature for the first five minute to get the lift then a slightly lower temperature for the rest of the bake.  

Ingredients:

For The Muffins

• 384g Plain Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• 240mls Skim Milk - Can use whole milk or Almond Milk
• 120g Golden Sugar
• 150g Apple Sauce
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3 1/2  Tablespoons Baking Powder
• Pinch of Baking Soda
• 2 Large Apples - Cored, Peeled and Diced

For the Crumble Topping:

• 60g Golden Sugar
• 2 Heaped Tablespoons  Plain Flour
• 4 Teaspoons Rolled Oats
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 40g Chopped Nuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Oil your muffin tin and put aside.

2. To Prepare the Crumble Topping: Place the Sugar, Flour, Chopped Nuts, Rolled Oats, Cinnamon and Butter into and bowl and mix together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set Aside.

3. To Prepare the muffins: In a large bowl mix the Flour, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk the Milk, Apple Sauce, Sugars, Eggs, Baking Soda and Baking Powder until fully combined. Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry. Stirring until just combined, making sure not to over mix. Gently fold in the apple. 

4. Using an Ice cream scoop, fill up the muffin tins right up to the very top. Generously sprinkle the Crumble all over the top of each muffin.

5. Bake for 5 minutes at 200°C , then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for another 15 minutes. To check if they are done use a cake tester or toothpick and insert it in to the center of a muffin and if it comes out clean they're baked. 

6. Cool on a wire wrack. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee or a cold glass of milk.

"This still counts as one of my five a day, right?"

Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze

Today I made super easy Cinnamon Rolls  

I have always had a weak spot for Cinnamon Rolls ever since I was a child.  My father would bring me in to town and we'd always have tea and share a Cinnamon Roll so to this day when I smell that sweet Cinnamon aroma it takes me right back to being that five year old girl. A number of years ago I started to notice that not many places sold Cinnamon Rolls anymore so I was faced with a dilemma - how was I going to get my fix now? So I started to look into making my own. The first couple of recipes I tried hit a miss, I was so familiar with how my memory wanted them to taste that I couldn't settle. I started playing around with putting together my own recipe and then one day everything fell into to place as I finally cracked it.

 Not only is this recipe really easy to make, they look like fluffy little spiraled pillows.  All nice & toasty and they just happen to taste amazing. These little guys are perfect for breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning, yummy Saturday brunch or naughty weekday afternoon tea. They come out of the oven hot, you load them with your frosting of choice, throw them on the table and everybody can tear off what they want. You can fill these rolls with Nuts, Jam, Nutella, Coconut or Mixed Fruit. I have a number different recipes that I will share with you .

Ingredients:

For The Rolls:

• 350g All Purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 7g Dried Yeast
• 60mls Milk
• 120mls Water
• 40g Butter
• 1 Large Egg

For The Filling:

• 60g Unsalted Butter - softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
• 100g Granulated Sugar

For The Glaze:

• 150g Icing Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Milk

Instructions:

For The Dough:

1. Sift the Flour into a large bowl. Add in the sugar and yeast and mix until evenly dispersed. Set Aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

2. Heat the water, milk and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted, it normally takes me 40-50 seconds. Stir the butter mixtures into the flour mixtures. Add the Egg and bring together with your fingers until it forms a soft dough.

3. The dough is ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and starts to feel smooth and springy. 

4. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rest for 10 minutes. I do all my dough proofing  in my dryer - I know it sounds mad but I normally put on the dryer while I make the dough when the dough is ready I turn off the dryer and place the bowl into the dryer with a damp clean tea towel over it.

For The Filling:

5. After 10-15 minutes, roll the dough out into a 14x8 inch rectangle. Once rolled out spread the butter on top, mix together the Cinnamon and Sugar and sprinkle it all over the dough, right out to the edges.

6. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 12 even pieces, press down slightly on each swirl before placing into a a lightly oiled 9 inch round pan. I like to use a clasp release pans so its easy to get them out in one piece.

7. Loosely cover the rolls with cling film and allow to rise in a warm and dry place for an hour. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 190°C. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown. I normally cover the rolls with tin foil after 15 minutes of baking as I don't like them getting too brown. 

For The Glaze:

8. Mix the Icing Sugar with the Milk and Vanilla Extract, you don't want the the glaze too runny so it doesn't run right off the Cinnamon Rolls. Completely drench your Cinnamon Rolls with your Glaze and devour.

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for  breakfast.”

Fererro Rocher Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Today I made Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

These cupcakes are definitely one of the most luscious and impressive looking out of the catalog of cupcakes I make. A fudge-y chocolate brownie cupcake and then the frosting, oh my the frosting - be still my little heart, smooth, creamy Nutella-y frosting - yes I said Nutella-y, it's so good I needed to create a new word for it. The cupcakes are then topped with Milk, White and Dark Chocolate Ferrero Rocher. The frosting I use in this recipe is the frosting recipe I normally used then I add in a healthy amount of Nutella and blended Hazelnuts. The frosting by itself taste so like Ferrero Rocher you wouldn't really need anything else but  because I'm a sucker for Cupcake toppers I just have to put a Ferrero Rocher on top of each Cupcake.


I like to talk about good food combinations a lot and this is definitely one of them. I use the key elements of Ferrero Rocher to really give the cupcake a Ferrero Rocher-y feel. The smooth Hazelnut center of the sweet is really easily replicated by Nutella, The crispy, nuttiness of the outside is replicated by the blitzed Hazelnuts in the frosting. I debated for a while whether to use a vanilla cupcake or chocolate cupcake for this creation. When I thought about how intense the top of the cupcake was I thought no point in holding back now and went for a brownie cupcake base. I also bake these little beauties in metallic gold cases so they look like the gold wrapping of the sweets.

Ingredients:  

(Makes 12)

For the Cupcakes:

• 115g Unsalted Butter - Room Temperature
• 170g Light Brown Sugar
• 150g Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Large Eggs
• 150g Plain Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 12 Ferrero Rocher

 

For the Frosting: 

• 170g Unsalted Butter
• 250g Icing Sugar
• 150g Nutella
• 100g Hazelnuts 

Instructions: 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line the cupcake tin with your cases of choice. 

 

2. Put the butter into a microwave friendly bowl and heat for increments of 30 seconds until the butter is melted. Take out and stir in the sugar, put back in the microwave for a further 30 seconds and then stir again. 

 

3.  Add in the two eggs and Vanilla Extract and whisk till fully incorporated. At this stage you can sift in the Flour, Cocoa Powder and Baking Powder stir till just mixed - make sure not to over mix the cake batter.

 

 

4. Fill up the cupcake cases half an inch from the top. I normally use an ice-cream scooper as it gives the perfect amount to fill each of the cases.  

 

 

 

5. Bake the cupcakes for 12/15 minutes. Until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack until fully cooled.

 

6.  For the frosting - place the Butter into a large bowl and whisk till it looks light in colour, add in the Icing Sugar and whisk till full incorporated. At this point you can whisk in the Nutella - (perfect spooning licking opportunity). 

 

 

 

7. Blitz the Hazelnuts in a handheld blender. Add into the frosting and mix through. When the cupcakes are cool you can then frost them. Fill an icing bag with the frosting and cut off the tip and frost each cupcake.

 

 

8. When all the cupcakes are frosted you can place a Ferrero Rocher on top of each one. These can be eaten straight away or you can chill them in the fridge for half an hour to firm up the frosting.

"Little Balls of Heaven - Ferrero Rocher"

White Chocolate and Forest Fruits Bread and Butter Pudding.

Today I made White Chocolate and Forest Fruit Bread and Butter Pudding 


I remember the very first thing I made by myself when I was 8 was Bread and Butter Pudding. I saw some chef make it on tv and decided to make it from memory. I'm pretty sure that was the day I fell in love with baking. I'll never forget the look on my fathers face as he ate this dessert his child just made, and so began my love of feeding people. Even to this day I have very fond memories of making this dish. My recipe has developed over the years, I now have about twelve different Bread and Butter Pudding Recipes that I chop and change depending on who I'm making it for and for what occasion. The one I made today is probably my favourite, well definitely in my top three.

The one I made today doesn't actually use bread, so it's kinda of like my cheat bread and butter pudding like another recipe of mine using Brioche. This recipe uses Croissants as a substitute for the bread. The Croissants give you a light and almost fluffy pudding, which really lightens a normally stodgy, filling dessert. The normal add-in in a Bread and Butter Pudding are raisins or more recently dried apricot. I like to go another way with this dessert in particular and pimp it out with creamy White Chocolate and Forest Fruits. The White Chocolate melts into the custard creating an irresistible sweet and creamy sauce while the mixed berries pack a tangy punch,

Ingredients:

• 6/8 Croissants
• 50g Butter
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 100g White Chocolate
• 100g Mixed Berries
• 400mls Milk
• 40g Granulated Sugar - To Sprinkle

Instructions:

To Make The Custard:

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat at a medium temperature until it's just below boiling point. 

2.  Separate the three eggs and put the egg yolks into a glass bowl - You can save the Egg Whites to make meringues or an Egg White Omelet. Whisk in the Caster Sugar until it's all incorporated.

3. When the milk is heated pour half of it into the Egg and Sugar mixture while stirring constantly. When the Milk is stirred through you can them pour the Sugar and Egg mixture into the other half of the milk in the pan and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes it will start to look frothy on top - that's how you know it's ready.

For the Pudding:

4. Cut all the Croissants in half and lightly butter each half, line them up in a oven proof dish, I normally line them up crust side up as it looks prettier.

5. Cut up the White Chocolate into chunks, I like to leave the pieces quite large so they melt and you get little pockets of White Chocolate Sauce within the pudding. 

6. Sprinkle the White Chocolate Chunks all over the Croissants, I normally push a few of the chunks down to the bottom so they're all evenly dispersed. 

7. Then add on your mixed berries of choice. I like to use Forest Fruits as it's a great combination of Raspberries, Cherries, Strawberries and Blueberries.

8. When you have all your White Chocolate and Forest Fruits added in you can then pour in the Custard you've made, the custard should fill up to top. You can leave the croissants sit in the custard for some time so they soak up all the custard-y goodness. I normally make this dessert before I start making dinner so it has plenty of time to soak up. 

9. Put the Oven proof dish into a baking tray and fill the baking tray with some boiling water, this steam helps to cook and set the bottom of the custard. Before you place in the oven sprinkle the top of the pudding with Granulated Sugar. 

10. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180°C until the top of the Pudding is golden brown and crispy and the custard has set. I normally serve this dish with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream  and dusted with Icing Sugar.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” 

Nutella-Stuffed Sugar and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Today I made Nutella-Stuffed Sugar and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Do you love Doughnuts? Do you love Nutella? Do you love Cinnamon? Then you are going to love these. These little cakes taste like a cross between a doughnut and a cinnamon swirl. I used to make these cakes with just the sugar and cinnamon crust then one day I wanted to give them a quirky edge, that's where the Nutella came in. They are such a comforting treat with a cup of tea or cold glass of milk. Perfect for breakfast, as a dessert, as a lunchbox filler or as a naughty midnight snack. They are perfect for any occasion those all too well known chocolate/sugar cravings hit. Making these muffins is so easy. It only takes about 30 minutes from bowl to belly

.This is one of my favourite kind of recipes as all the ingredients are all mixed in one bowl. Any recipe that reduces the amount of dishes that have to be washed are favoured in my house. When you have these beauties waiting for you the last thing you want to do is face a sink full of dirty dishes. The texture of these cupcakes are so similar to that of a doughnut I often have people questioning are they really cupcakes. The Sugar and Cinnamon not only makes them look pretty but adds a crunch that really contrasts the softness of the cupcake.

Ingredients:

(Makes 6 large)

For The Cupcakes:

• 80g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
• 100g Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 120mls Milk
• 200g All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutella
• 8 Teaspoons Nutella

For The Topping:

• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to  180°C. Spray muffin tin with an oil spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the Eggs,    Vanilla Extract and milk. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.    Don't over mix, just stir together until everything is combined. 

3. Half fill each tin with the mixture. Layer with 1 tablespoon of Nutella in the center then top with another heaped teaspoon of batter on top. You can fill the cupcake tins right up to the top they won't overflow. I normally get 6 out of this mixture but can be easily doubled.

4. If you are using a 12 tin cupcake tin, I normally fill one of the empty tins with water to create some steam during cooking. This helps the cupcakes have really soft texture and even baking.

5. Bake at  180°C for five minutes. Reduce the oven to 160°C bake for a further 15 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown. Allow to cool for five minutes.

6. While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the sugar cinnamon topping. Melt the butter in the microwave. In a separate small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon.

7. I normally use a pastry brush to brush the top of each cupcake with the melted butter then dip the top of each in the sugar and cinnamon mix. I normally swirl it around to ensure I get a nice thick coating.

“I love you like a fat kid loves cake!”