Rich Coffee Date

From Muffins, Sweet & Savory Comfort Food by Cindi Duncan and Georgie Patrick, published by Gibbs Smith, Publisher

Not a wealthy man who asks you out to coffee, but the scrummy-yummiest muffin ever: a nice dense and moist little fellow who is sweet and aromatic. A more rugged version of your favourite sticky date pudding.

1 ¾ cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 cup water

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee powder

¾ teaspoon salt

250g pitted dates

Preheat oven to 185ºC fan forced. Grease muffin tray.

Mix flour and baking powder together in large mixing bowl.

Using a food processor, mix water, egg, oil, sugar, instant coffee powder, salt and dates until dates are coarsely shopped. Pour date mixture over dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. 

Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins

The alley between the park and the library is boggy this morning. I wish I had worn my sturdy mud-licking hiking boots instead of my pretty suede boots. I tread carefully and try and stick to the firm ground.

I shed the cold winter weather as I walk through the double doors and  tug off my scarf as I make my way into the library. It’s by habit that I head towards my favourite spot to study at the desk with the over-spill books before the glass wall. It’s by habit that I scan the book racks that I have to walk past in order to get there.

muffins

It’s a pink square book with flowers and sugar dusted little cakes on the cover. I can’t resist. I sit down at the desk and flick through the book: Choc-chip banana, spicey apple, frosted pumpkin..

By the time I get to Orange and Poppy Seed, I’ve had to start tearing up little piece of my maths exercise book to keep tab of the cakes I want to make.

I can help feeling a little warm bubble of cheer upon finding a recipe for orange and poppy seed muffins. Orange and poppy muffins from Chill Out have kept me alive this semester. Tuesdays, you finish class at 3:15pm after a long day at uni only to realise you have another two hour class at 4:15pm before you can go home at 6:15pm. Somehow some day my friend and I split the cost for a muffin in this tiring hour gap between the end of energy and the end of the day. And every since then it became a tradition.

“Hey are you doing anything in particular?” We’d ask someone.

“Not really.”

“Come share a muffin with us!”

Dreaded Tuesdays became Tuesdays that I would look forward to.

It’s not until several days later that I find time to buy ingredients. I beam at the check out assistant as he scans the packet of poppy seed and the brown sugar and the raisins. He’s probably bored by people buying poppy seed and brown sugar and raisins, but to me it’s the most exciting thing in the world.

I have to go back to get oranges a few days later because we didn’t have any oranges at home.

I’m listening to the Beatles as I bake. Oh honey pie, I’m in love but I’m lazy, so will you please come home to me…

–

recipe from muffins – sweet and savoury comfort food, by Cyndi Duncan and George Patrick

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
5 table spoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 C conventional, 185 C fan-forced). Spray muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. In large bowl, cream sugar, butter and orange peel. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in raisins, nuts and poppy seeds. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-20mins, or until lightly browned. Makes 12 muffins.

(Well actually I managed to make 16 with my standard sized muffin-tray, so that’s 12 big muffins)

–

The come out of the oven warm and smelling beautiful. There’s just the right amount of poppy-seed crunch and light sweetness and the faint aroma of orange zest…. Oh, and the best part of baking is packing them in a box the next morning and taking them to uni to share. Even the worst semester can be redeemed by a good batch muffins.

Spicy Apple Muffins

From Muffins, Sweet & Savory Comfort Food by Cindi Duncan and Georgie Patrick, published by Gibbs Smith, Publisher

1 2/3 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

1 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup finely chopped apple

Preheat oven to 185ºC (205ºC for conventional) Spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. In a small bowl, combine egg, milk and oil; pour into center of dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in apple. Fill muffin cups ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Note: this is not a very sweet muffin, nice with jam. Maybe try putting spices and apple in a sweeter muffin base. 

p. b. and j. muffins

From Muffins, Sweet & Savory Comfort Food by Cindi Duncan and Georgie Patrick, published by Gibbs Smith, Publisher

Makes a very filling muffin that - it seems - is a little bit addictive.

·      2 cups flour

·      ½ cup sugar

·      2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

·      ½ cup chunky peanut butter

·      2 tablespoons butter or margarine

·      1 cup milk

·      2 eggs, well beaten

·      ¼ cup currant jelly, or jelly of your choice, melted

·      ½ cup finely chopped peanuts

(measurements may be in American measuring system, but I used the ingredients as specified with metric measurements and the recipe still worked well)

Preheat oven to 185ºC fan forced (205ºC conventional). Grease muffin tray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in peanut butter and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and eggs all at once, stirring just until moistened.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove from tins and immediately brush with melted jelly. Dip in shopped peanuts. Makes 18 muffins.