Christmas Morning Muffins

Christmas Morning Muffins - MS Word document for downloading

This is a “Nigella recipe” I came across some years ago, which tastes and smells so wonderfully Christmassy. It’s those spices! As we have the Mincemeat Loaf on Christmas morning (see previous posting), I make these Christmas Morning Muffins on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. They make a special start to the day for so little effort. This recipe works well with cranberries or mixed dried fruit. If this mixture is too heavily fruited for your taste, halve the quantity of fruit.

Nigella suggests you measure out the fruit, flour, baking powder, bicarb and sugar the night before, so all you have to do in the morning is melt the butter, and mix together with the orange juice, milk and eggs in the morning. This works well. On the other hand, you can measure everything out in the morning in the time it takes for the oven to heat up.

Makes 12

Preparation time: 15 minutes, if measuring and making all in one go.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes at 200°C - Gas Mark 6.

You will need a bun/muffin tray and 12 muffin cases.

 Email This Post To A Friend
It’s really important not to overbeat the Muffin mixture. Just combine the ingredients together quickly. It may be lumpy, but that’s nothing to worry about. Just combine quickly and get them into the hot oven! Muffins should be eaten warm.

Ingredients and Shopping List.

• 200g (7oz) plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 75g (3oz) demerara sugar
• good grating fresh nutmeg
• 1 clementine or small orange
• approx 50ml (2 fl oz) milk
• 60g (2½ oz) butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 150g (5oz) cranberries

For the topping:

• 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
• ½ a teaspoon ground cinnamon

To serve:
Eat warm with butter and marmalade if liked.

Method.

1. Pre-heat the oven: 200°C- Gas Mark 6
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarb and sugar.
3. Add a generous grating of nutmeg.
4. Squeeze the orange or clementine juice into a measuring jug.
5. Add milk until it comes up to the 150ml (5 fl oz) mark.
6. Add the melted butter and the egg and beat well to combine.
7. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir quickly until they are just combined.
8. Carefully fold in the fruit and fill the muffin cases.
9. Mix together the demerara sugar and cinnamon.
10. Sprinkle over the tops of the muffins and pop into the oven.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

They can be eaten as they are, or with lashings of butter and marmalade (which I really recommend!)