Dried Fruit Muffins Recipes

DRIED FRUIT MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Or line the cups with papers, and grease the papers.
• Blend together the dry ingredients, add chopped fruit and stir.
• Beat the liquid ingredients together - milk, oil or butter, eggs, and vanilla - until light.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Take a fork or wire whisk and blend the two briefly - about 20 seconds should do it.
• Fill the cups of the muffin pan two-thirds to three-quarters full. Sprinkle with sparkling white sugar, if desired.
• Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them turn them out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

BASIC MUFFIN RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 2 muffin trays with paper muffin cases. In a large bowl beat 2 medium eggs lightly with a handheld electric mixer for 1 min.
• Add 125ml vegetable oil and 250ml semi-skimmed milk and beat until just combined then add 250g golden caster sugar and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
• Sift in 400g self-raising flour and 1 tsp salt (or 400g plain flour and 3 tsp baking powder if using) then mix until just smooth. Be careful not to over-mix the batter as this will make the muffins tough.
• Stir in 100g chocolate chips or dried fruit if using.
• Fill muffin cases two-thirds full and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the trays will not fit on 1 shelf, swap the shelves around after 15 mins of cooking.
• Leave the muffins in the tin to cool for a few mins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

BETTER-THAN-BASIC MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lower third. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, tapping out excess. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; make a well in the center. Add egg mixture to well. With a rubber spatula, gently stir ingredients just until batter is moistened (do not overmix; a few lumps are fine). Add mix-ins, if desired.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen muffins, and tip them on their sides to cool in pan. Serve warm or at room temperature (muffins are best the day they are made).

FRUIT AND NUT MUFFINS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, raisins and nuts; set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil and vanilla; stir into apple mixture. Combine dry ingredients; carefully fold into apple mixture. Do not overmix. Fill 18 greased muffin cups almost to the top. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

FRUITBURST MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/ fan 180C and very lightly butter a 12-hole muffin tin. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the melted butter, milk and honey. Add to the flour with the remaining ingredients. Combine quickly without overworking (it's fine if there are some lumps left - you want it gloopy rather than fluid). Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and pale golden on top.
• Leave in the tin for a few minutes before turning out. When cool, they'll keep in an airtight tin for two days. (Can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

OAT BRAN MUFFINS WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Combine the fruit, oats, oat bran, flour, banana, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a food processor.
• Pulse until mixture is just blended, then transfer to a bowl.
• Combine milk, orange juice, egg whites, oil and orange zest in another bowl.
• Add the milk mixture to the dried fruit mixture; stir just until blended.
• Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
• Bake 15 minutes or until the surface of the muffins are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove from pan and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.