Muffins!

[briarwood]

I am in need of a really great recipe for muffins.

I've googled and there are so many out there! I'm starting a collection, but those of you who bake, do you have any recs?

Comments

[shanaqui]

My girlfriend knows this kind of thing! She is feywood, and may comment here, since that's easier than her trying to work through me. (I can just about turn the oven on. That's it.)

[briarwood]

Thank you!

[draigwen]

I have a gorgeous 'raspberry cheesecake' muffin recipe which is delicious if you want me to hunt it out for you. (I think it's raspberry - it could be any type of fruit but that's not really the point of the recipe!)

[briarwood]

I have a gorgeous 'raspberry cheesecake' muffin recipe

Wow, you just put threee of my favourite words in one delicious sentence :D If you can find that recipe, I'd LOVE it!!!

[draigwen]

I, a and gorgeous right? *G*

Here's the recipe:

225ml milk
75g cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225g plain flour
125g caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
100g fresh or frozen raspberries

Cheesecake mixture:
150g cream cheese of full-fat soft cheese, softened
160g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line the cups with paper cases.


2. For the cheesecake mixture, mix the cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract together and set aside.


3. For the muffins, put the milk, butter and vanilla extract into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. Beat in the eggs.


4. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined. Gently fold in the raspberries.
5. 
   
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, dividing evently. Top each muffin with 2 tsp of the cheese mixture and swirl slightly with a knife. Back in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack.

I always end up with the cheesecase to liquidy to swirl but it still tastes absolutely gorgeous. It's from a fantastic book called 'Homemade Baking' by Catherine Atkinson, Valerie Barrett and Gail Wagman if you want more muffin recipes (it's split into four sections: cakes, muffins, cookies and cupcakes!)

[briarwood]

Wow, that sounds heavenly! Can't wait to try it :) Thanks so much!

[draigwen]

Let me know how it turns out!

[briarwood]

I will :D

[feywood]

There really are so many, many, many options. It's daunting. I have a huge list of Things I Want To Bake.

Still, there are two places I always turn to when I'm in a baking mood: Joy of Baking and King Arthur Flour (the latter also has a really awesome blog). Neither has ever let me down and they both have a huge selection of everything baking.
If you want more specific recs, these are three of my favourites (of the ones I can remember making):

• Banana muffins - a little heavy, but very nice. Great with cream cheese frosting.


• Pumpkin chocolate chip - out of season, maybe, but so nice.


• Red velvet cupcakes - again, cream cheese frosting. Is my bias showing?

Sadly, most of my recent efforts have come from my big pink baking book with the title I can never remember. But if you're okay with spending a little money, I can really recommend one of those little 500 cupcakes/cookies/cakes recipe books. Other than that, I can always find inspiration on Foodgawker, Tastespotting and Food porn.

[briarwood]

That's awesome, thanks. The pumpkin one is a tad out of season but I'm gonna bookmark that for Halloween :)

I have an ancient book I get most of my recipes from - but it only has a basic muffin recipe with variations. Cream cheese frosting sounds yummy.

[feywood]

I made it a couple of weeks ago since I had frozen pumpking left over, but it's very out of season indeed.

Cream cheese frosting is heavenly. That or a chocolate ganache are my favourites. If you're after a sugar high though, try this seven minute icing.