Mixed Berry Muffins
These muffins are great for a quick breakfast.
They go down well as an afternoon snack, or just whenever. And, in my household,
they tend to get eaten almost as soon as they come out of the oven.
This recipe makes 12 large muffins. You can
use any fruit you want, but my favourites are blueberry or cherry or mixed
berry. Today, I chose mixed berry. I always use frozen fruit because the fruit
stays plump and juicy and makes the muffins taste and look fantastic.
Ingredients:
I cup of wholemeal self-raising flour
1 cup of white self-raising flour
½ cup of raw sugar
Mixed Spice (about a teaspoon)
I egg
½ cup of Buttermilk
½ cup of Canola Oil
2 tablespoons Plain Greek-style Yoghurt
– but I use the vanilla flavoured one as well.
2 cups of frozen blueberries / mixed berries
/ pitted cherries
Sliced Almonds
Method:
·
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
Celsius.
·
In a bowl, mix the wholemeal
and white self-raising flour, sugar and mixed spice together until well blended.
(I usually do this by hand with a wooden spoon.)
·
In a separate bowl (the one big
enough for the entire mixture) add the buttermilk and canola oil. Add the egg
and then the yoghurt. Whisk all these ingredients together until the they are
completely blended. (I use a hand whisk.)
Note: The idea here is to blend and
add as much air as possible to the mixture. This will make the muffins light
and help them rise in the oven.
·
Shake the combined flour, spice
and sugar into the bowl on top of the egg, oil and buttermilk mixture. Using a
wooden spoon, gently fold in the flour until the liquid is absorbed. Do not
over mix, stop once everything is combined.
Note: The mixture should be
stiff (meaning denser than cake batter). If it’s more like cake batter, add a
bit more flour into the mixture. If it’s too stiff (difficult to stir or dry in
spots), then add a bit more yoghurt to the mixture.
·
Add the frozen fruit into the muffin
mixture. Gently mix the frozen fruit into the muffin mixture until combined.
Again, do not over-mix. All you’re doing here is spreading the fruit as evenly
as possible through the muffin mixture.
·
Spray your muffin tray with the
canola oil spray to ensure your muffins come out without sticking.
·
Using the ice-cream scoop,
place one scoop of muffin mixture into each muffin mould. (I use the scoop to
make it easier to get the mixture into the muffin mould, but a wooden spoon
would do the same job. It’d just be messier.)
·
Sprinkle sliced almonds on top
of the muffins, gently patting the almonds into the muffin mixture with the
back of the spoon.
Note: No force is needed,
you are just ensuring that the almonds stay put and don’t fall off the muffins
once they are cooked.
·
Place the muffin tray into the
pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through. They should be a nice
brown on top and the skewer should come out clean when testing the insides.
·
After removing them from the
oven, leave the muffins in the tray for 5 minutes.
·
Place each muffin onto a
prepared wire cooling rack lined with baking paper. They should come out easily
and intact.
Eat and Enjoy
Once completely cold, you can reheat the
muffins for 20 seconds in the microwave, or just eat them as is – they are
delicious either way.
Here’s hoping these muffins will be as big a
hit in your household as they are in mine. Enjoy.
About the Author
Australian, Wendy
Lee Davies began writing romances as a lark after leaving her communications
and editing job of many years.
Wendy enjoys
cycling, especially cycle touring which she did a lot of in her younger, some
say more foolish, years. Now that she’s older and wiser, Wendy is wearing out
the bike paths around her home town, making good use of her amazing
pedal-assist electric bike. She's also traversed most of the incredible rail
trails available in Victoria, and one in New Zealand as well.
If she's not
writing or riding her bike, Wendy can be found enjoying a coffee in some cafe.
Or taking landscape photographs. Sometimes she makes cookies or muffins. She’s
even been known, on occasion, to annoy her writing friends with long, detailed
editorial comments on their latest writing endeavour. But don't worry. They get
her back, tenfold, when it comes to critiquing her latest romance-in-progress.
You can catch up
on her latest news via her website ( www.wendyleedavies.com ). She loves hearing from readers, so
don’t be shy about dropping her a line.
Wendy Davies on the web:
Good Enough For Love: Willow's Bend
Series, Book 1
Renovating a
country hotel challenges everything Amber knows … about family and about love.
When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.
Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.
Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.
Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.
With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.
When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.
Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.
Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.
Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.
With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.
Buy on:
Ohh! This sounds so yum! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Congrats on your book.
ReplyDeleteThey are Janet, and easy to make as well. Thanks for the congrats. Much appreciated.
DeleteOh yummy!
ReplyDeleteIf my household is any indication, these are more than yummy Christine.
DeleteAnd Wendy’s book sounds good.
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine
DeleteThey sound like great muffins! How do you keep the frozen fruit from turning your muffins weird shades of green or blue, though? I find mine always turn lilac from the blueberries...
ReplyDeleteWell Kate, I put the fruit into the mixture while frozen. It "defrosts" while cooking, and the juices (the thing that turns the muffins purple/lilac) don't get a chance to escape. Shhh! This is a big secret, so don't tell anyone, okay?
DeleteThese muffins look and sound great, thanks for the detailed recipe. I also like that you used wholemeal flour and I appreciate your advice about how to make the muffins light as the few times I have made them they have turned out not so light, let's say.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds intriguing! I'll look out for it. How marvellous to have your book published.
Thanks for visiting Orange Esmeralda, I hope you'll come back sometime.
It's my pleasure Sheila. :) I'd be interested to hear how these turn out for you.
DeleteOh my gosh! These sound luscious! As does your new release;)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandra.
DeleteSounds so good! Congrats on the new release! Thanks for coming by my blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you Magic Love Crow. It's been a real pleasure.
DeleteThat recipe has put me in muffin heaven! Thank you for this. Well done on your book, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteGary
Muffin heaven Gary? What a wonderful compliment. I hope you enjoy them as much as my household does. And that you love my book, too. :)
DeleteThe muffin looks so good with the mixed berry. Would love to have one with my coffee!
ReplyDeleteThey go particularly well with coffee, Nancy.
DeleteThose muffins look absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Congrats on your new book too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suzanne. Enjoy...both the muffins and my book. :)
DeleteThese muffins look much better than the Pop Tarts I just ate. Congratulations on your book, Wendy! Much success!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, because we don't have pop tarts here in Australia, but I think my muffins are a tad healthier, Elsie. :)
DeleteI will enjoy making these this weekend. I have company coming again. Thanks for sharing Wendy :)
ReplyDeleteOh, please let me know what happens when you present them to your visitors. Bet they think you are ever so clever making these muffins just for them! :)
DeleteOh these muffins look good. I really like blueberries and they're even better in muffins. Thanks for sharing these!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Lola!
Deletethank you so much for this delicious recipe ,today it was needed
ReplyDeleteloved reading about wendy who sounds very interesting lady ,her book must be great as i love romance
So glad my recipe was needed! As for me being interesting...well, I don't think I'm all that special, but thanks for the thinking I am! If you love romances, and especially small-town romances, then you're my type of reader, Baili. You should check my story out. :)
Deleteohhhhh. this looks so yummy! i do love muffins! :)
ReplyDeleteMe too, which is why I make them so often. :)
DeleteOh thank you for the needed recipe. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you share whole process and never miss a bit which is brilliant: )
Wendy sounds a fun person with beautiful heart and wonderful writing skills!