Christmas Morning Muffins

Happy new year everyone!!!!

I know I have been really bad lately, haven’t been blogging for ages. Life has been really busy: eating, sleeping, chatting.. Everything except studying .. D’oh!!! Bad me!!!

January will be a very busy month for me and I promise I will be posting more frequently after the freaking exam ;-)) so my fellow friends please bear with me for this month and please pray for me … I need good luck for the exam especially I have been playing and eating hard instead of studying hard.

Steve and I went to the movies today –Marley & Me. Yeah yeah, instead of spending my precious time studying, I sneak out and spend time with my lovely hubby. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved the movie, it is almost as good as the book!!! We both were a bit worried that the movie will turn out average (as they always do, books always better than the movies), but it was so good, so touching!! I cried myself out in the cinema.. LOL .. how embarrassing.. if you are a dog lover, please watch the movie, it will definitely touch your heart. Even my hubby had tears in his eyes (note: I am not allowed to say he cried, so we both settled at “tears in his eyes”.. LOL )

Ok, back to the food blogging. I made these Christmas morning muffins weeks ago, they were good, soft in texture and very easy to put together. My parents in law and colleagues loved them. Thanks for choosing this great recipe !!! Thanks to Sweet & Simple Bakes !!

Makes 12
Ingredients

250g (9 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g (4 oz) caster (super fine) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Good grating of fresh nutmeg (or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg)
2 Clementine’s or Satsuma’s *see notes*
Approx 125ml (4 fl oz) full-fat milk
75g 3 oz) vegetable oil (or melted butter, left to cool slightly)
1 egg
175g (6 oz) dried cranberries

For The Topping
3 tsp Demerara sugar *see notes*

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
Line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin paper cases.
Measure the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s over and combine.
Squeeze the juice of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s into a measuring jug, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 200ml (7 fl oz) mark.
Add the oil (or slightly cooled, melted butter) and egg, and lightly beat until just combined.Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is more or less combined, remembering that a well-beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins; a lumpy batter is a good here.
Fold in the cranberries, then spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The muffins are ready to eat now either plain or broken up and smeared with butter and marmalade.

* Notes**Cranberries could also be replaced with another dried fruit of choice**

Clementine’s/Satsuma’s*If you’re unable to source Clementine’s or Satsuma’s, 1 orange of zest and juice would be adequate.

* Demerara Sugar is*: Large crystals, golden in colour, which also adds a crunch to baked goods.*Question*: I can’t purchase Demerara sugar - what could I use instead?Granulated Sugar: This is a pure, naturally white, crystalline sugar.Sugar Cubes: Brown/white, would be a lovely addition instead of Demerara sugar; crunched up and sprinkled over the top of each muffin before baking.