Muffin Mania

I love the carrot, apple and sultana muffins I posted yesterday. So much so that I've already eaten several, and they only came out of the oven 24 hours ago.

However, I also like variety. And when I bake, I like to pair healthy options with chocolate.

It seems balanced that way.

After talking about cookbooks, I also wanted to allocate a whole post to this muffin collection:

It is much loved. The pages are well worn, with remnants of past baking mixtures stuck to some, and the binding is starting to come undone in sections.

It doesn't talk about health or nutrition, but it does start with an inscription from the authors, Canadian sisters Cathy Prange and Joan Pauli, who say that they hope their recipes will inspire baking and an enjoyment of baking in others.

My Mum received this book from her own sister, who lives in Canada, and it definitely has a friendly, family feel to it.

Whilst it doesn't include pictures, some of the recipes are also perfectly inscribed into my memory. Banana, Apple Cinnamon, and Orange Date muffins were regular favourites, and I can recall not only the muffins, but the baking experiences I shared with my mother. The mixing, the tasting, the cleaning up, the tasting...and pulling the warm muffins out of the oven, and eating one right there in the kitchen.

I feel lucky to have those memories. On googling this book, I also feel lucky to have a copy I can access. Although it has now been republished, for a while there were second hand copies going for over $100!

Maybe I should take it home with me, quietly...

Chocolate-filled vanilla muffins

Adapted from jam-filled muffins in Muffin Mania

Makes a half-batch (6), or double the ingredients for a full batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Egg replacer to the equivalent of 1 egg (or 1 egg)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp soy milk
• 3/4 cup soy yoghurt (I used vanilla, as it's the closest to plain I've been able to find)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ~50g chocolate squares, cut in half, or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180'C fan-forced, and grease and line a 6-pan muffin tray.
2. If using chocolate squares, cut them in half.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, prepare the egg replacer (or egg) and combine with the oil, milk, yoghurt, and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined.
6. Fill each muffin tray ~2/3 full, and then add 1/2 a chocolate square (or a decent sprinkling of chocolate chips) to each.
7. Cover with the remaining muffin mix, and sprinkle grated chocolate or extra chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake for ~15 minutes.

The muffins will be slightly golden when cooked, and have a gooey centre.

I recommend serving them warm!

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