Muffins

Chocolate muffins

Ingredients:

300g / 2 3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

10 ml / 2 tsp baking powder

150g / 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar

a pinch of salt

250 ml / 1 cup milk

120 ml/ 1/2 cup sunflower oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

5 ml/ 1 tsp vanilla essence (extract) (optional)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5/fan oven 170 C for at least 5 minutes. 

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cases (cupcake papers), or simply place the cases on a baking tray.

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and stir them together.

Mix together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla essence in a separate bowl or a jug

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together briefly; the mixture should still look lumpy with a few specks of dry flour showing.

Divide between the muffin cases and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until risen and golden

 Cool in the muffin tin or on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Serve warm or cool.

Variations

Double chocolate muffins:

Swap 30 ml/45 tbsp of cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder for the same amount of flour and stir 100g/ 1 cup of white, milk or plain chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.

Cappuccino muffins:

Substitute 30 ml/45 tbsp of cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder for the same amount of flour. Blend 15 ml/ 1 tbsp of coffee powder/granules with 15 ml/1 tbsp of hot water and stir into the wet ingredients. Serve the muffins with a dusting of drinking chocolate (sweetened chocolate) powder and with whipped cream, if liked.

Mixed berry muffins:

Add 100g each of fresh or frozen raspberries and blueberries to wet ingredients.

Fruity muffins:

Stir in 75g/ 1/2 cup of chopped dried fruit such as pears or apricots, raisins or sultanas (golden raisins). Add 5 ml/ 1 tsp of ground cinnamon o mixed spices as well.

Student Food in Colour by Catherine Atkinson, 2007