These lovely muffins are a great flavour combination to ease you out of Christmas, and add a little brightness to January. They are simple to make, moist and delicious.

If you are already on a health buzz for the New Year the second breakfast muffin recipe might be more appealing, as it’s full of dates and seeds — so it’s easy to convince yourself it’s super healthy.

Cranberry & Almond Muffins

Ingredients

210 gr cream flour

100gr ground almonds

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. bread soda

¼ tsp. salt

115gr sunflower oil

200gr golden caster sugar

2 whole free range eggs

250ml buttermilk

3 tsp. vanilla essence

110 gr frozen cranberries

20ml boiling water

2 tbsp. flaked almonds

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 180 C
• Line a muffin tin with muffin papers.
• Sieve together the flour, baking powder, bread soda, salt & sugar.
• Add in the ground almonds and whisk.
• Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sunflower, vanilla extract.
• Add the boiling water to the buttermilk mixture.
• Pour on to the dry ingredients, mix well and finally add the cranberries and give a quick mix.
• Share between the muffin papers and sprinkle each one with almonds.
• Bake until cooked through and set on top. 18 to 20 minutes.
• Once cooked lift carefully out of the tray onto a wire rack to cool.

Breakfast Muffins

(Makes 14 muffins)

1 tsp. bread soda

240ml water

260gr dates chopped

1 tbsp. chia seeds

3 tbsp. water

80 g pecans

300g whole-wheat flour (not coarse)

150 gr cream flour

60g sultanas

160g soft light brown sugar

40 gr golden linseeds

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

16 gr desiccated coconut

1 tsp. pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. sunflower seeds

40 gr grated carrot

360ml buttermilk

2 free-range eggs

120ml sunflower oil

1 tsp. vanilla essence

Topping

20g porridge oats

10g chia seeds

20 gr linseeds

20gr-desiccated coconut

Method:

• Stir topping ingredient together then set aside.
• Pre heat the oven to 180 C.
• Line two muffin tins with 14 large muffin papers (or make more smaller muffins).
• Put the dates, water and bread soda in a small pot, stir and bring slowly to the boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Put the chia seeds in the base of a large jug then add the water and allow to soak whilst you weigh out the rest of the dry ingredients.
• Roughly chop the pecans and toast in the oven @170 for eight to 10 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Weigh all the dry ingredients into one bowl and whisk gently to mix.
• Next add the buttermilk and eggs to the chia seed, mix well.
• Add in the oil, carrot, and buttermilk the finally add the date mix.
• Now pour all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well.
• Spoon into the muffin papers coming a little more than half way up.
• Sprinkle each muffin generously with topping, and then place in the oven.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and well golden on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and straight away lift out each muffin onto a wire rack to cool.
• Serve warm or allow to cool fully.

If you would like to contact Mercy email info@wickeddesserts.ie