Macadamia Choc Chip & Cranberry Muffins

This muffin may cost a little more than usual to make, but I assure you that the reward you'll get from savoring it is worth the cost and effort. Taken from 'Mad About Muffins' by Diana Bonaparte, this recipe calls for macadamia nuts - luxuriously waxy milky expensive macadamia nuts! Never mind the cost, we all deserve a good stuff once in a while. I made very slight changes to the recipe and added dried cranberries for some tangy bite. Like all muffins, eat these when they are freshly out from the oven and still slightly warm. And don't forget to make that mug of aromatic black coffee too!

Ingredients:

Makes about 11-12 muffins

270g plain flour
170g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
100g macadamia nuts, toasted and ground
170g milk
2 eggs
100g butter
150g chocolate chips
100g macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
80g chopped dried cranberries

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, then stir in the ground nuts.
2. Combine the eggs and milk in a separate bowl and lightly whisk by hand.
3. Melt the butter in a small bowl in a microwave or in a pan on a stove.
4. Add the egg mixture and butter in the flour mixture. With a large spoon, fold together until just moistened.
5. Gently fold in the choc chips, chopped nuts and dried cranberries. Fold until just mixed. Do not over mix the batter.
6. Spoon into prepared muffin tin. Bake for around 35 minutes at 180 deg C or until muffins are well-risen, golden brown and springy when lightly pressed.

Enjoy!

petite nyonya

Best Banana Muffin With Apricots And Choc Chips

If you love bananas and muffins, this is a recipe you simply must try! It's easy and quick to make, and the taste is totally uncompromised!

By any measure, this is one of the best muffins I've ever made! But then again, I haven't really made THAT many muffins. Whatever it is, seriously, this is a good muffin recipe to share and many people have testified to that. It did not only survive the unforgiving critique of many home cooks but also received glowing reviews from those who tried it. I found this recipe on CatCanCook. The recipe is also included below for a quicker reference.

This is the 2nd time I made this. This time, I gave it a little twist by adding chopped dried apricots and chocolate chips for extra 'dimension'. The base recipe is so good - soft, moist, springy and delicious. What more could you ask for in a muffin?! With a hot cup of coffee or tea, this muffin will just perk up anyone's sulky day.

Recipe (makes 12 delightful muffins)
3-4 large ripe bananas (around 470g)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt

Optional: 100g chopped dried apricot and 50g chocolate chips (the combination of dried apricot, chocolate chip and banana go really well together).

Remove the banana skin and mash them. Mix in the sugar, melted butter and egg together with the mashed banana and stir well. Combine in the sifted flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt, dried apricots and choc chips and mix until just combined. The trick with muffins is to NOT over mix. The batter is supposed to be lumpy and not thoroughly combined like a cake batter. Pour 3/4 full into paper cups placed in muffin pan. Bake at 150 deg C till done.

Best