Recipe: Magnificent muffins

Sometimes, when you’re baking and trying to choose healthy options, there is a fine line between appealing, tasty and healthy. With kids in the house, muffins still need to be delicious as well as nutritious. These fruity muffins, full of oats, certainly fit the bill. Most muffins, including these, are pretty simple to make, generally mix together or sift the dry ingredients, mix together the wet ingredients, add wet to dry and fold in fruit, nuts, chocolate or whatever you are using. They are great for kids or students to make as there are no mixers involved and there is very little wash up (always a bonus).

Nectarine & Almond Muffin

Ingredients

240ml milk

80gr porridge oats

156gr flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bread soda

½ tsp cinnamon

tsp salt

115gr butter, melted

60gr soft brown sugar

60gr maple syrup or honey

1 free range egg

1 tsp vanilla

40g diced peach

50gr finely chopped whole almond

Method:

• Soak the oats in milk for 20 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200C after the 20 minutes once you are ready to bake.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, bread soda, cinnamon and salt.
• In as separate bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and egg.
• Once the oats are soaked and a bit soft, add them to the egg with all the milk.
• Line a muffin tin with 12 papers.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; give a quick mix then spoon into the cases.
• Decorate them with thin slices of nectarine, if you wish.
• Bake for 5 minutes on high then turn down the oven to 170 for 20 minutes.
• The muffins should be golden and cooked through.
• Remove from tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Wholemeal Banana & Fig Muffins

Ingredients

240g whole-wheat flour

40gr finely chopped ready to eat figs

48g oats

1 tsp bread soda

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

300gr ripe mashed banana

2 free-range eggs

120gr honey

40gr maple syrup

44 gr Olive oil

65ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Line a muffin tin with 12 papers.
• Pre-heat the oven to 170C.
• Mix together the dry ingredients.
• Then mix together the wet ingredients.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry, give a quick mix then spoon into the cases.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, remove from tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.