Baking Escapade # 8: Whole wheat Spiced Apple Muffins

The shocked……….. “OMG!! Don’t tell me YOU!! (rolls eyes unbelievably, shakes head vigorously and continues) made this” expressions I have been getting from people I have been subjecting my baking to is too addictive to let up…..To keep the oven fires warm and going and also make sure all the baking (bragging…what’s the difference??) I have been doing isn’t just a flash in the (baking) pan, I have tentatively resolved to bake more often…like once a week……I don’t treat resolutions with the respect that they deserve…but hey this is food!! And some of it has got to be sugared….so I’m guessing I’ll have a lot more success than just normal resolutions

This picture to the left (which goes to the Show me your cookbook event hosted by Nags) is of this really fabulous book on baking i picked up a few months ago….flushed with my first real baking success….and predictably it sat on my bookshelf…..these days I prefer the world wide web for recipes….something to do with real pictures and tried and tested…anyways…this book has some really simple baking recipes, 50 in all and have a good variety of cakes, cookies, muffins and bread…..there’s a wonderful options for both savory and sweet selections…..its called Essential Cooking Series Comprehensive step by step cooking – Baking ….. published by Hinkler books pvt ltd. … each time I have tried my hand at baking the last few weeks, I have gone back and forth to this book and put it safely back on its shelf… So this week is Whole wheat Spiced Apple Muffins …….this recipe is fairly simple….calls for very few ingredients all of which are most likely available in the kitchen and the apples I reckon can be substituted with any other firm flesh fruit such as pears / pineapple etc

the recipe said 1 cup flour yields 9-10 muffins which wouldn’t be enough even for tasters here in my family and so I doubled all measures, landing up with 30 muffins….I guess I have the wrong cup!! Or the wrong muffin case!! The recipe is a keeper….the fact that the muffins were soft and moist not to mention fruity with the pieces of apple and made entirely out of whole wheat has totally swung it in its favor!!

Makes 9

200 g (7 oz) plain whole meal flour

1 T baking powder

1 t ground mixed spice (I used cinnamon and nutmeg)

Pinch of salt

4 T brown sugar (I used granulated white sugar)

1 medium egg, beaten

220 ml low fat milk

4 T butter

1 cooking apple peeled; cored and chopped (I used red delicious)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F), line a muffin pan with muffin cases and set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and spic

In another large bowl, combine sugar, milk, egg and melted butter. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over handle. The mixture should be quite lumpy. Fold in the chopped apple.

Divide mixture into the muffin cases and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool