Category Archives: Muffins and Scones

easy to make muffins and scones

Blueberry Surprise Streusel Muffins

Nothing better than fresh out of the oven Blueberry Surprise Streusel Muffins when blueberries are in season! These muffins are great plain too. I often make them without the streusel topping and give them a light dusting of icing sugar instead.

blueberry muffins
Blueberry Surprise Muffins

2 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Sugar

1 Egg, lightly beaten (or Egg Replacer)
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup Milk (or Soy Milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 cup Fresh Blueberries (or frozen, do not thaw: toss with 1 Tablespoon Flour in a small mixing bowl)
1/4 cup Blueberry Danish Filling or Blueberry Jam

Optional
Streusel Topping

1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
2 Tablespoons Butter, cold

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.

If using, prepare Streusel Topping:
In small mixing bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; make a well in the centre.

In a small mixing bowl beat egg lightly; stir in oil, milk and vanilla.

Pour liquid ingredients all at once into flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Use a 3-ounce scoop to partially fill each muffin cup.
Carefully spoon 1/4 teaspoon blueberry danish filling into each cup.
Fold fresh blueberries into remaining muffin mixture then cover filling with remaining batter; top each muffin with (if using) a 1/2 teaspoon of streusel topping.

Bake in 375F preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Rotate pan and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until pick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

 

 

 

Ginger Pear Streusel Muffins

I sent along a pear in my husband’s lunch the other day and lo and behold I came across it BACK in the fruit bowl at the end of the day looking much worse for the wear but still intact. I gave it a wash, along with another pear from the fruit bowl and an  apple, peeled ’em, chopped ’em up and made Muffins. You can bet he will now eat that pear!

Ginger Pear Streusel Muffins with Toasted Walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners.*

2 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Pears, washed, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 Apples, washed, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

1 large Egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon grated Ginger
1 teaspoon  Vanilla

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup Flour
2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup chopped Walnuts

In small mixing bowl prepare the Streusel Topping:
Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in chopped walnuts; set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
Stir in the chopped fruit to coat with flour.
Make a well in the centre and set aside.

In small mixing combine egg, milk (or soy milk) vegetable oil (or a combination of vegetable oil and melted butter), vanilla and grated ginger.

Pour liquid ingredients all at once into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be lumpy.

Using a 5 ounce scoop fill each of the paper lined muffin cups.
Top with Streusel Topping.
Fill each of unused muffin cups with a few tablespoons of water.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for 10 minutes, rotate pans and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and pick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on racks for 10 minutes.
Carefully pour water out of unused muffin cups then turn muffins out to cool completely on wire racks.

* I like my muffins a lil bigger so fill them to the top of the paper liners. You can make a dozen smaller muffins, if you prefer.
** I often double this recipe.

Hot Cross Muffins

These yummy muffins borrow their flavour from Hot Cross Buns and are infinitely easier to make!

Hot Cross Muffins
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 cup Currants
1/2 cup Glazed Mixed Fruit

1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons Bundaberg Rum (or Captain Morgan’s Spicy Rum) (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line 12 cup Muffin tin with paper liners.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger; make a well in the centre.
Stir in glazed mixed fruit and currants; set aside.
In small mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth; add sugar and brown sugar  and stir until well blended.
Add egg, vanilla. Add rum if using.
Stir in buttermilk; pour liquid ingredients all at once into dry ingredients.
Stir just until combined, batter will be lumpy.
Use a 5 ounce Pampered Chef scoop to fill muffin cups.

Hot Cross Muffins in the Making
Use a 5 ounce scoop for no fuss, no muss muffin cup filling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Turn out muffins to cool completely on wire rack.
When cool, drizzle with Glaze.

Glaze
1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Bundaberg Rum
1 + Tablespoon Milk

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth adding enough milk to get consistency desired.