Big Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

I’ve never had much success baking muffins. Everyone has that one recipe they just can’t quite master, their Achilles heel if you will. Muffins are mine. Most of my previous muffin attempts either turn out like cupcakes – tasty but not what’s called for, or else dense and dry. After much research and a few not-so-good recipes, I believe I may have finally mastered muffins. Behold the blueberry muffins of delight!

These muffins are light, soft, airy, tender, sweet, blueberry-packed and streusel topped. They have the classic ‘muffin top’ of crisp outer edge that has spilled over the rim of the paper case and a gently doming top. They are not cakey or bready, they are muffins!

I must give thanks to this recipe, which set me on the path to muffin mastery. I used this as my base, adapting it to be gluten free, experimenting with different flours and percentages and types of milk. I incorporated buttermilk for its moist and tender crumb giving properties, replaced lemon juice with fresh vanilla and cut half the blueberries in half for a more even distribution and enhanced juicy purple pockets.

For the streusel topping I added oats and just a hint of cinnamon for a wholesome, slightly nutty crust.

These muffins were amazing. Perfectly soft and tender and I loved the perfumed floral flavour and fragrance that came from using the fresh vanilla. It worked so well with the sweet and jammy blueberries and slight tang from the buttermilk. Inside they had that classic muffin-esque soft open crumb texture.

The streusel topping was slightly fragile and crumbly, but this just means you have little nuggets of oaty crumbs to mop up with your finger after finishing the muffin, as an extra little treat.

I can’t wait to try this recipe out with other flavours, chocolate chip or banana walnut. Hopefully I’ve reached the end of my muffin misfortunes.

Big Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients

150g fresh blueberries, half chopped

150g rice flour

25g cornflour

15g tapioca starch

½ tsp xanthan gum

150g caster sugar

2 tsp baking powder

75ml sunflower oil

1 fresh vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

100ml buttermilk

25ml milk

1 egg

Streusel topping

50g light soft brown sugar

40g rice flour

50g cold butter, cubed

¼ tsp cinnamon

20g gluten free oats

Method

Start by making the streusel topping by combining all streusel ingredients in a bowl and rubbing the mixture together using the tips of your fingers until the butter is broken down into tiny pieces and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners.

Cut half the blueberries in half and leave the rest whole, set aside.

In a large bowl add the rice flour, cornflour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, sugar and baking powder together and mix until well combined. Gently stir through the whole and chopped blueberries.

In a large jug, measure out the oil, buttermilk and milk. Slice open the vanilla bean and remove the seeds. Add to the milk mix along with the egg and beat to lightly combine.

Pour half of the milk mix over the dry ingredients and gently fold together using a spatula. Once mostly incorporated, add the rest of the milk mix and fold together until only just incorporated. Do not over mix, a few lumps are fine.

Spoon the muffin mix into the paper cases, filling almost to the rim. Sprinkle a generous amount of the streusel topping over each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes until risen and lightly golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and leave the muffins to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eat within 2 days

Makes 9 large muffins

Selfridges, Beyond Bread Bakery and Cookies & Scream: A Gluten Free Day in London

I’ve had a list of gluten free places to visit in London for a while, and last weekend I persuaded my mum to come with me on a gluten free day trip to London to investigate. We set off bright and early and arrived in London just after 9am accompanied by a flurry of snow. Our first stop was Selfridges, the posh department store known for their gourmet food section. I’d heard tell that they now offered a range of gluten free cakes and pastries so it was with eager anticipation that we set off.

On arrival at Selfridges we spent a happy half an hour taking in their glorious chocolate and confectionary displays. Everything was so nicely presented and ranged from French macarons in beautiful pastel shades to individually wrapped bars and brightly coloured bonbons.

Next up was the cakes and pastry section. The smell as you entered the room was wonderful. Freshly baked bread and stunning displays of delicate French pastries and glossy fruit topped cakes. I could only look on enviously as my mum purchased some delicious looking bread to take home. I was eager to see what the gluten free offerings would be and asked an assistant to point me in their direction. I had high hopes after seeing the ‘normal’ displays.

So imagine my disappointment when I was shown the gluten free selection…

Well that about sums it up. Not much of a display at all! A few chocolate sandwich cakes, that looked a little haphazardly put together with no decoration or attention to detail given to them at all. There wasn’t even any icing on top! Underwhelmed (and undervalued) is an understatement!

The assistant could see I was disappointed and said they were going to get some more in later in the day, but that’s no good to me. It was mid morning on a Saturday – I expected more than this. I left cakeless.

They did have a small display of fresh gluten free pasta – which I was tempted by as I’ve never seen gluten free ravioli in my life, but as it was the first stop on our journey and they needed to be kept chilled, I decided not to buy any on this occasion.

I love this display of Heinz tomato soup though. What a genius idea. A perfect little cheer up gift for a loved one who’s feeling under the weather.

Next stop was Beyond Bread. A brand new, entirely gluten free bakery and café that only opened this month. The minute I heard about it and saw their baked treats I knew I had to visit.

It’s a lovely little bakery hidden down a side street not too far from Goodge tube stop. On entering you are greeted by the delicious aroma of freshly baked breads and cakes. The shop has a collection of little tables and chairs as well as a long counter displaying the freshly baked tarts, cookies, cakes and breads on offer.

We decided to stay for cake and coffee. We couldn’t decided what to get so decided to share half each of two cakes. I selected the chocolate muffin and my mum went for the orange & almond cake.

The chocolate muffin had a slightly misshapen appearance which hides an almost gooey chocolaty middle. It was still warm from the oven – yes that’s right, a chocolate muffin so freshly baked it was still warm, soft and melty inside. Wow.

The texture was part muffin, part brownie, part soft centered chocolate cake. It had a soft, slightly chewy outer edge with a moist rich middle that was ever so slightly squishy, not uncooked, more like a softly set chocolate brownie. We both agreed it was delicious and you’d never know it was gluten free.

The orange and almond cake was quite dense but had a delicious zingy orange flavour. It was studded with chunks or almonds which gave it a nice bite rather than being made with solely ground almonds. There was a zingy orange icing sugar glaze on top which finished it nicely. It was slightly crumbly, but not dry, more like a cross between cake and shortbread.

While we finished out tea I had a look at the other things on offer and was very impressed to see gluten free baguettes on offer. I’ve never seen a freshly baked gluten free baguette in my life. It had the proper slashes on it and even the little dimpled bottom markings where it had sat on its tray – just like regular baguettes. I was so impressed. I bought one to take home and it was delicious.

It had a proper chewy springy outer crust while the middle was light and airy. I had some for tea and then toasted the rest the next day and it was fabulous. I’d love to know how they made it. It even smelt like real bread. Gluten free breads can often smell strongly of vinegar or molasses, but this smelt wonderfully yeasty and bready. I can’t wait to go back to try some more of their offerings. I’ve even seen photos of gluten free Danish pastries – DANISH PASTRIES!!! I can safely say I’ll be returning as much as possible.

Next on our whirlwind tour of London was Camden Lock Market. I’d never been before and it is an amazing display of just how multicultural and exciting London can be. Walking through a brick built entrance from the main street you are suddenly immersed in a whole different world of little shops, street food traders, interlocking underground passageways and great swarms of people. (If you’re one of those people who don’t like crowds, this isn’t the place for you).

We spent a happy hour wandering around taking in the sights, sounds and smells. We even got a little lost down some of the alleyways and couldn’t find our way out again. It was so exciting. Some of the little shops displayed carved wooden antiques while others had swaths of brightly coloured shawls and shoes that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the souks or Morocco.

When we found our way out again and came across the street food market we decided to have lunch. There were at least 4 places offering gluten free options and if you have no dietary restrictions you would be spoilt for choice – everything from dim sum, stir fired noodles, gourmet toasted sandwiches, burgers, burritos, mediterranean salads, Turkish falafel, cupcakes and even a dedicated mac n cheese stall. The assortment of smells, and wafts of smoke was so exciting.

After wandering round each stall at least 3 times I finally decided on a hot salad box from a stall called Feed Me Primal. It was all Paleo and Gluten Free. I chose the vegetarian box which included a warm stir fry of cauliflower, beetroot and carrot with lemon and herbs that was topped with fresh spinach, cheese, spicy salsa, picked chilies and a little almond and coconut pancake wrap. It was all very tasty and lovely and fresh.

My mum went for a gourmet toasted sandwich from Toastits. This had sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spinach, avocado and basil sandwiched between 2 slices of toasted sourdough bread. She loved it and said the bread was particularly delicious. It was so big she couldn’t quite finish it. Despite the cold we sat outside on communal picnic benches, watching the hustle and bustle around us which made for a great atmosphere.

After lunch it was treat time again and we managed to find Cookies & Scream, a gluten and dairy free vegan bake shop. It was a tiny little shop front hidden in the market. There was a selection of 2 pies and 3 cookies when we visited.

We decided to share a chocolate chip cookie and a slice of Chico Pie which was a fat slice of peanut butter cookie dough, studded with chocolate chips and shaped into a pie.

The chocolate chip cookie was ok. It had a lovely strong vanilla aroma, but I found the texture to be a bit lacking. It was quite firm, neither chewy nor crispy. Perfectly nice, but nothing special.

The Chico Pie was much better. It really was a thick slab of peanut butter cookie dough, and was just as delicious as it sounds. Very rich, but not too sweet with a great natural peanut flavour. I loved the chunks of chocolate in it too. We were quite full after our lunch and so bought this home with us and enjoyed it the next day.

So all in all a wonderfully food filled gluten free day. The gold star goes to Beyond Bread for creating gluten free heaven with real innovation of the treats and breads they offer. I can’t wait to try some more of their baking.

Spinach, Feta & Paprika Savoury Muffins

Last weekend the weather was rather cold, wet and blustery. The perfect weather for staying indoors and baking. As I’ve been baking rather a lot of sweet things recently I decided instead to bake something savoury.

I had a look through my fridge at what needed using up and came across a block of feta and a half used jar of sun dried tomato paste and decided to combined them together in a savoury muffin. I wanted another colour and so fished out a couple of blocks of spinach from the freezer, which I think always goes well with feta. Hunting through my spice cupboard (yes I have a whole cupboard full of herbs and spices) I settled on some smoky paprika from Schwartz, which I think goes wonderfully with tomato.

I used a combination of self raising flour and then some nuttier brown rice flour to add a little grainy wholesomeness to the muffins. You could use fine ground cornmeal or polenta to achieve the same effect.

Mixing the batter together produced a wonderful smoky earthiness from the paprika, which also lent the batter a great subtle red-orange hue. All the colours together looked so pretty, green spinach, pure white feta and dusky red paprika/tomato.

During baking the muffins smelt so inviting, a mix of savoury smoky aromas that had me peeking through the oven door impatiently. After baking the muffins had a pale golden outer crust that was slightly crisp and scone-like, but breaking into one revealed a soft and tender crumb. These aren’t as light and fluffy as sweet muffins, being savoury they are more wholesome but they are by no means dense or heavy.

The chunks of feta became soft and creamy while the strands of spinach were scattered throughout giving a very attractive appearance. The muffins were slightly sweet to taste, but just as salt adds flavour to sweet things, I found the sweetness seemed to enhance the savoury elements of the muffins. I found the subtle smoky earthiness of the paprika added a slight tongue tingling warmth in a similar way that chili does.

They were delicious eaten on their own but I discovered they were even better with a little houmous or chutney. I took a few to work and warmed them in the microwave before dipping pieces into my soup and it was a lovely alternative to bread.

This was my first foray into savoury muffins, but I doubt it will be my last.

Spinach, Feta & Paprika Savoury Muffins

Ingredients

250g gluten free self raising flour*

50g brown rice flour or fine cornmeal*

40g caster sugar

1½ tsp gluten free baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

180ml milk

2 eggs

100g (2 blocks) frozen spinach

1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste or tomato pesto

100g feta cheese

6 cherry tomatoes

6 extra cherry tomatoes for decoration (optional)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease the 12 wells of a muffin tin thoroughly with oil.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave and squeeze out any excess liquid. It’s fine to still be damp, but not swimming in liquid. Chop roughly and set aside.

Chop the feta into 5mm x 1cm pieces and half the cherry tomatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, bicarb and paprika.

In a jug, measure out the milk and then beat in the eggs and sun dried tomato paste/pesto.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and stir briefly until some of the liquid is starting to be absorbed. Add the spinach, half the tomatoes and feta and fold together gently until just combined. (The batter should still be soft and lumpy, you don’t want a smooth mix).

Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to generously fill the wells of the muffin tin with the muffin mix. They don’t rise much so you can pile them up quite high and leave them looking rustic. You’ll get between 10-12 muffins.

Place a halved cherry tomato on the top of each muffin if desired and bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before running a round bladed knife around the rim and removing them from the tin. Place on a rack to cool slightly.

Serve warm with houmous, chutney or cheese. Also taste great dipped into soup.

Eat or freeze on day of baking. On defrosting, warm slightly in the oven or microwave before serving.

Makes 10-12 muffins

Note: If you don’t want to make them gluten free then replace the gluten free flour with normal self raising flour and use fine ground cornmeal/polenta in place of the brown rice flour.

Squidgy Chocolate Muffin Cakes

I am so pleased I finally get to share this recipe with you. I created these little squidgy chocolate cakes back in my university days, a sort of muffin-brownie hybrid. I had the recipe saved on my laptop, which later went and died on me. I had my uni work back up but feared the recipe lost forever. However, last weekend I was looking back through my family’s old computer archives when I discovered a file called ‘Katie Laptop Backup.’ It turns out my Dad had taken a copy of all my files shortly before my laptop died, not just my uni work. Hidden amongst the essays and coursework was this recipe – hurrah! Thank you Dad! I was so excited and set about baking them at once.

They are just as good as I remember, despite now baking them using gluten free flour. They have a slightly chewy top crust which hides a squidgy chocolate middle, reminiscent of a brownie and then a cakey base. They are quite rich and packed with dark chocolate flavour.

The recipe only makes 6 cakes, created at a time when dark chocolate, butter and eggs seemed ridiculously expensive for a student, but I’m sure the recipe would double up easily. The rather shocking thing about these cakes is the temperature they are baked at – 200C. This means they only have 10-12 minutes in the oven and helps create the top surface while maintaining a soft and gooey centre. It’s not uncooked batter, more brownie like.

I also added a few white chocolate drops as decoration, which added little blobs of melty chocolate and a little sweetness. I shared them with my family and they were devoured in one sitting (there were 5 of us) with the last one being fought over. I’ve already been asked to make them again. My Dad wants me to try baking them with some cherries in the centre – sounds good to me!

Squidgy Chocolate Muffin Cakes

(Apple & Spice own recipe)

Ingredients

65g dark chocolate

110g butter

1 egg

½ tbsp rapeseed oil

60g gluten free plain flour (I used Doves Farm) (‘normal’ plain flour works too)

80g caster sugar

12g cocoa powder

½ tsp instant coffee (optional)

½ tsp baking powder

24 white chocolate chips/small chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C (yes, really that hot). Line a muffin tin with 6 paper cases.

In a small pan, melt the dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee (if using) and butter together until melted and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together the egg, oil and sugar until it has turned slightly thicker and become moussy in texture, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and baking powder and beat again.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and beat again briefly. The mixture will suddenly become very thick and glossy, this is how it should be.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and add 4 white chocolate drops or chunks on top of each one. Press them down until nearly submerged in the cake batter.

Bake for 12 minutes. They will be slightly risen with a crisp top surface, but still soft in the centre.

Leave them to cool in the tins for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. They will sink slightly on cooling due to their soft centres.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 3 days.

Makes 6 cakes – easily doubled

Berry & Almond Muffin ‘Bread’ Pudding

I made this a few weeks ago in order to use up some of the berry muffins I made a while ago. I was the only person around to eat the muffins at the time and so couldn’t get through more than 3-4 before they started to go a bit past their best. Normally I freeze any cakes or cookies I don’t think I’ll eat in time, and then get them out later as and when needed. However, when I went to put the muffins in the freezer, it seems I have been putting more in than I have been taking out as they wouldn’t fit! I don’t want you to think I have a freezer full of cakes and cookies, there were plenty of other things in there too – bags of berries, cartons of homemade soup, meals etc. Either way, it was time to come up with a plan B.

Recently I had been day dreaming about trying to create a gluten free bread and butter pudding and hit upon the idea to make a denser bread pudding and to use the muffins in place of bread. The more I thought about it the more the ideal appealed and I set about doing a little research into bread pudding recipes.

Bread pudding turns out to be a bit of a minefield when it comes to specific recipes. I found some that called for cubes or bread to be baked in a custard, others crumbled them into crumbs and created a mush which was baked into something much sturdier. Some were custard based, others used water, milk or even tea as a socking liquid. The baking times also varied enormously. Some called for a hot oven and a short time, other a much cooler oven and a long bake. Anything from 25mins to 2.5hours! Some were dense and served in squares, others lighter and served with a spoon. This also includes side stepping all the bread and butter puddings which are completely different.

A few bleary eyed hours later I formulated my own recipe, picking and choosing the best aspects of various different recipes I liked. I decided to use milk as my soaking liquid and to crumble the muffins into fine crumbs as I wanted to end up with a denser, sliceable pudding. I added a little jam for extra fruity sweetness and some sultanas to add a dried fruit chew. Mixed spice and almond extract for flavour and just a tiny amount of flour to bind it all together.

I decided on a long slow bake for my pudding, as the mixture was very wet and I wanted to ensure I ended up with something that was not only cooked, but that could be served and held in slices. It was a little trial and error going along, but my finished pudding was delightful.

The outer edges of the pudding had gone wonderfully thick and chewy, while the middle was softer, more tender and studded with moist juicy fruits and crumbs. I adored the almond flavour, it really shone through and went so well with the fruits and spices.

I love how it looks quite plain from the outside and yet is so colourful and inviting once sliced into. Delicious and the perfect way to use up some leftover muffins or cakes you might have lingering around. Success!

Berry & Almond Muffin ‘Bread’ Pudding

Ingredients
600g leftover fruit muffins, around 7
250ml milk
50g gluten free self raising flour
1tbsp raspberry jam
2 eggs
100g sultanas
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp almond extract
1tbsp sugar for sprinkling

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line an 8inch square baking tin with greaseproof paper, letting it drape up two opposite sides of the tin, which will help you remove the pudding once baked.
Tear the muffins into small chunks and add to a bowl along with the spices, almond extract and sultanas. Pour over the milk and mix together briefly. Then set aside for 10minutes.
Beat the eggs and jam together before stirring into the muffin mix. It should become very soft and mushy at this stage and look quite unappetising, but this is fine. Finally scatter the flour over the top and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface. Scatter over the caster sugar and cover the tin with a foil.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour, before removing the foil and leaving to bake for a further 40 minutes.
It should be a dark golden brown colour on top and feel firm to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15minutes, before running a knife around the edge and removing from the tin with the help of the greaseproof paper.
Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting into 12-16 pieces.
Store at room in an airtight container and eat within 3 days.
Can also be heated and served with custard.

Daring Bakers February 2012 Challenge: Very Berry & Apricot Muffins

(I’m still in LA, but I set this post up to publish itself before I left. Never done this before so hope it’s worked)

I love berry muffins but very rarely bake them as I’m almost ashamed to admit, that I’m not that good at baking them. Ones I’ve made in the past have either have flat rather dry tops, or not been that different to an un-iced cupcake. However, this months Daring Bakers challenge was to make a quick bread in the flavour, and shape of our choice. As the whole group is about challenges, I decided it was time to give muffins another go.

I browsed the internet looking for my ideal muffin, and when I came across this one by Zoom Yummy, I called off the search. It looked fantastic and utterly drool-worthy. Packed full of berries with a soft texture and nicely risen. I had to do a little tweaking to make it gluten free and adapt it to my preferences but I was ready to get baking!

The main difference between a cupcake and a muffin is that muffins generally rely on a milk and oil base, rather than a butter base. They also generally use fewer eggs and you are actually aiming to achieve a lumpy batter, rather than a smooth one as this helps give them their light texture. Despite knowing this I think I slightly over worked my batter as there were very few lumps left. I’m too used to baking cakes!

I was a little worried about how full the cases were after I’d divided out the batter, but I went with it and sure enough they rose perfectly. Just high enough to create little domes without cracking and spilling out all over the tin. So fill them more than you might normally think is wise as the weight of the fruit holds the batter down a bit.

Frozen blueberries, cranberries and some fresh apricots are what made up my fruit mix. I loved the colours together, each so striking and bright. They looked so inviting when baked, each one bursting into the surrounding muffin creating little pools of vibrant jammy fruit.

I loved the muffins, but was slightly disappointed they didn’t go a lovely golden brown on top. I suspect this might be down to the flours I used. Next time I will try baking them at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time and seeing if that helps. This is purely aesthetic though and the muffins themselves were soft and tender. I’m sure they would also be great with some almond extract or lots of lemon zest too, but I liked them plain and simple. Letting the natural mix of sweet, juicy, tart, jammy fruits shine through.

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles. I started from scratch with my own research. Click here to see the Daring Baker blogroll to see bakers quick breads.

Very Berry & Apricot Muffins
(Recipe adapted from Zoom Yummy blog)

Ingredients
100g white teff flour*
80g buckwheat flour*
60g brown rice flour*
150g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
250ml/250g milk
125ml/95g sunflower oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
300g fresh or frozen fruits & berries (I used equal mix of frozen blueberries, cranberries & fresh apricots)

* can be substituted for an equal quantity gluten free flour mix or regular plain flour

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a muffin tray with 12 paper liners.
Mix the milk, oil, lemon juice and egg together in a bowl and set aside.
Place the flours, sugar and baking powder together in a larger bowl and mix to combine.
Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and use a spatula to gently fold everything together. You want a few lumps to remain, not a smooth batter, so don’t beat it.
Add your fruits and mix briefly.
Divide the mixture between the paper cases, filling almost to the top, more than you might normally think was wise. (I found I needed 1½ ice cream scoops of batter in each).
Bake for 18-22 minutes until risen and springy to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Best eaten within 3 days or frozen on day of baking. Lovely served warm with custard for a quick dessert.