Cranberry Muffins

Another fuss-free bake is the trusty muffins.

If it means no mixer required and easy to clean-up, I am so in. But wait, let me clarify that we cannot, absolutely cannot use the mixer when making muffins. Overmixing will bruise the gluten and the muffins will come out tough. And we'll get very upset. Bcos' muffins, they are supposed to be fuss-free aren't they?

One of the questions abt muffins that came to my mind, and I'm sure others do too is what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes. After having baked both, muffins are usually more crumbly, less dense than cakes, although some muffin recipes do result in denser textures.

For me, I prefer my muffins to be crumbly, light, and moist, which is just the recipe I'm sharing with you here. I love having muffins at any time of the day too. If you ask me, I can eat my bakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If only the hubster and the boy can too. Hohoho! :P


Ingredients (All ingredients are at room temperature):
220g self-raising flour sifted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup fresh milk
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup dried cranberries

i. Preheat oven to 180deg C
ii. Mix all dry ingredients together and make a well in the center.
iii. Mix all wet ingredients together and pour into the well. Add the cranberries. Mix until combined but do not overmix.
iv. Place in greased muffin tins or cups and bake for 20minutes or lightly browned.

It's important not to overmix so as not to bruise the gluten. It'll be good to use a flexible spatula and a large enough bowl, when mixing too.

I also realized that when baking muffins, when ingredients used are at room temperature, it makes for a better texture. The batter for this recipe is a little runny compared to other muffin recipes, and I must admit that my panic button was triggered a little. My worry was unfounded as they came out moist and crumbly, just what I like. The muffins also remained moist the day after, which is also quite a rarity for muffins.

I'd usually reduce the amount of sugar used but I did not this time round. Since I used cranberries, the sugar balances the tanginess of the cranberries in the muffins.

So..Care for some cranberry muffins with a cup of hot cocoa on this cool, and wet Saturday afternoon...? :)

Now, i'm also coveting for a crown muffin pan...


Recipe's adapted from here