Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

I thought I'd share this great recipe, loaded with flavour, nutrients and energy. Great as a breakfast or a healthy snack!


Carrot Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: 12

Start the day off right with these muffins loaded with oatmeal, whole wheat flour, carrot and low in fat - all the stuff that’s good for you and they taste amazing!
Ingredients:

Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, sifted (425 ml)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (250 ml)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (5 ml)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda (12 ml)
• 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (250 ml)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (150 ml)
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (60 ml)
• 1 cup grated carrots (250 ml)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup peach nectar (125 ml)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (175 ml)
• 1 cup apple juice (250 ml)
• 2 tsp vanilla (10 ml)
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (30 ml)
• Apple butter, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a medium muffin tin by lining with muffin papper or brushing/spraying with oil.
Sift together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar, apricots and carrots. Stir to combine.
Add the egg, peach nectar, buttermilk, apple juice, vanilla and oil to a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Some of the flour may still remain visible. Do not over mix or the muffins will be tough.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin tins. Put in the middle rack of oven. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Chef Michael Smith's Peanut Butter Cups

Click the photo for the link to the original recipe.

These homemade peanut butter cups are amazing! I recently watched an episode of Chef at Home, and immediately began to make these as soon as I realised I had all of the ingredients. They're unbelievably easy to make, and really satisfy your peanut butter and chocolate craving. I would like to try substituting peanut butter for almond butter in this recipe!

Anyways, here's the recipe.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of 70% bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces


• 1/2 cup peanut butter


• 1/2 cup cream cheese


• 1 tbsp confectioners sugar


• 1 tbsp vanilla


• 4 x paper or foil muffin cup liners

Method:

1. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a small pot of simmering water.
2. Using a pastry brush or new paintbrush paint chocolate onto the inside of the muffin cups.
3. Place them in a muffin tin for easier handling.
4. Paint a thick layer and then refrigerate until it has set hard.
5. Puree the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a food processor until smooth.
6. Spoon or pipe into the hardened chocolate cups and then pour a thick layer of the remaining melted chocolate over the top making sure the edges are sealed.
7. Put back in fridge until the tops have set.
8. Peel liners off before serving.

Note: You don't need to puree the peanut butter and cream cheese, I simply mashed them together with a spoon. You can also use an electric mixer. I also changed the recipe so that the sugar is actually confectioner's sugar as opposed to granulated. It gives the texture a less gritty feeling, and sets the mixture up nicely.

Lemon Loaf

I have been thinking about baking a lemon loaf for a while now, but I haven't found a recipe I was happy with, or had the time to bake! I found this recipe today, and it looks amazing! I haven't decided if I want to frost the loaf completley, or pour a syrup glaze over it.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the lemon loaf with frosting from : http://www.taste.com.au/

Lemon Loaf

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 125g butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
  

Lemon icing

• 2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line base and sides of a 7cm-deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.
Using electric beaters, cream butter, sugar and lemon rind on high speed until pale and creamy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine yoghurt and milk in a jug. Fold flour, almond meal and yoghurt mixture, 1 at a time, into butter mixture.
Using electric beaters, beat eggwhites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Stir one-quarter of the eggwhites into batter. Gently fold in remaining eggwhites. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Reduce oven to 160°C and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make lemon icing: Combine icing sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and butter in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drizzle lemon icing over loaf. Sprinkle with lemon rind and serve.