You'll go nuts for these easy-to-make, maple syrup-spiked bakes
These simple muffins are a seasonal favourite in our house, you can vary the fruit and nuts by substituting a chopped eating apple in place of the raisins and no harm is done by swapping the pecans for walnuts.
If you want these as a delicious breakfast treat, you can do a "Nigella" and weigh and measure out the ingredients the night before. Just cover the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl with a clean tea towel, prep the streusel and store the wet pre-mixed ingredients and topping in the fridge.
The next morning, simply heat the oven, stir the wet into the dry, top with the streusel and bake. Voila, delicious moreish fruity nutty treats that are far more fun than muesli! For an extra touch of luxury, mix a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar with some maple syrup and drizzle over the cooled cupcakes for a real maple flavour punch.
INGREDIENTS: Muffins: 250g plain flour 100g light brown sugar 10g baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 50g raisins 50g chopped pecans
250g buttermilk or half milk and half plain yoghurt 125g melted butter 100ml maple syrup 1 large egg beaten 1 tsp vanilla
Streusel topping: 75g plain flour 75g golden caster sugar 50g chopped pecans ½ tsp cinnamon 40 g cold butter cut in small cubes
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180°c and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cases.
First make the streusel topping by combining the flour, sugar and cinnamon and rubbing the butter into the mix until you have a chunky breadcrumb texture. Stir in the chopped nuts,
For the muffins: mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, raisins and pecans in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a large jug, allow to cool slightly then add the buttermilk or milk/yoghurt mix, egg, maple syrup and vanilla and mix well.
Stir the wet mix into the dry ingredients until just combined then stop mixing. If you over mix them, your muffins will be tough and chewy.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin cups.
Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the muffins.
Bake for 16-20 minutes until the muffins are well risen and golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing the muffins to a cooling rack.
For an extra touch of luxury, mix a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar with some maple syrup and drizzle over the cooled cupcakes for a real maple flavour punch.