Belly warmers...

Late again - not sure what is going on at the moment but my early morning blogging appears to have been sidelined by dog duties, chores etc. 

Breakfast was a rather large bowl of porridge this morning. I love porridge!  To save time in the morning, I usually soak the oats in hot water (from the kettle) and a bit of milk in a saucepan overnight - that way, I just have to heat it up with a bit more milk in the morning.  Sometimes I just fancy it plain but this morning I added a handful of raisins to it.  I think my favourite is apple, raisin and cinnamon :-)  I love how this type of breakfast really sets me up for the day and warms me through and through.

Talking of apples, raisins and cinnamon, I have a lovely recipe for muffins that are just too yummy for words.  I made a small batch of these just the other day, putting half in the freezer for another time.  I have had these warmed up with vanilla ice cream for a cheeky dessert or just plain without anything added. Either way, they are very tasty!


Spiced Apple Muffins (makes 10 -12)


Ingredients:
255g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
85g - 110g sugar
1 egg
170g chopped apple (don't cut these too small as you will lose the apple flavour in the muffin)
150ml milk
90ml vegetable oil
60g -85g  raisins, sultanas or chopped walnuts (or a mixture of all of these)

Topping:
3 tbsp soft brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190-200c (conventional oven)
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar.  Add the chopped apples and raisins (or sultanas/walnuts if using).
3. In another bowl, mix the egg, milk and oil, then add to the dry ingredients.
4. Stir until just combined (avoid over-mixing).
5. Spoon into muffin cases and sprinkle with brown sugar.
6. Bake for 20- 25 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.

I made half of all of the amounts and used small muffin cases - that way I got 9 small muffins.

These freeze very well - just defrost when you fancy a little treat.  You can heat these briefly in the oven and serve with vanilla ice cream...delicious!