Marmalade Breakfast Muffins - Gluten Free

We make a lot of home made jam and marmalade at my place. 

The next best thing to my gluten free muesli is my Marmalade Breakfast Muffins.

As I have said before my husband is a marmalade addict. Can't tell you how many dozen jars of it we have in the cupboard. This recipe was developed so we could use some of the marmalade we made and give me something new to eat for breakfast. Since going gluten free a month or so ago, I am really feeling the difference. But, eating muesli every morning, plus the odd egg or two is pretty tedious so these muffins are a real godsend.

I have made a few muffins for breakfast before but they always seem a little dry (sorry Jamie Oliver) This time I have incorporate two different fruits to try and keep them as moist as possible. Try them out and let me know what you think. You can certainly add some extra butter, margarine, jam or marmalade to them or eat them as the are with even more fruit. Haven't tried to toast them yet, but I am sure my husband will - but that's another story.

GLUTEN FREE MARMALADE BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Ingredients

200g gluten free plain flour
1½ teaspoons gluten free baking powder
few teaspoons of your favourite marmalade
1½ teaspoons baking soda
110g apple sauce or 2 green apples peeled, cored, cooked and mashed
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
60g oats
2 eggs
1 banana mashed
150 ml plain yoghurt/coconut yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons mixed seeds flax, pepitas, sunflower
50ml oil, sunflower, grapeseed oil
butter or margarine to grease muffin pan or use paper cases


Pre heat your oven 180º/160º FF/325F

Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and oats into a big bowl and mix thoroughly.

Now in another bowl beat two eggs, add mashed banana, yoghurt, vanilla, honey, rice malt syrup, oil, apple sauce. Mix thoroughly. Now add all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until you have completely incorporated one into the other.

If you use paper cases, place them into your muffin pan. You will need 10 -12, or grease the pan to make it easier to tip out the finished muffins. 

When you have done this, make a small hole in the top of each muffin using the end of a wooden spoon. Using a teaspoon fill the holes with marmalade.

Sprinkle the top with seeds and bake in a preheated oven 180º/160ºfan forced/325F for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the tin and cool on a rack.

Can be eaten straight away or frozen for a couple of weeks.

These muffins are deliciously moist and the marmalade really adds a lovely twist.

This is my last post before the Christmas break. Here is wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy and adventurous New Year. Thanks for all your kind comments and welcomed suggestions - see you on the other side.

If you do not celebrate Christmas then I hope you have a wonderful few days with your family and friends.

Breakfast Muffins

I was watching Jamie Oliver on TV one evening and saw him make some delicious Breakfast Muffins. I didn't take down his recipe but based on his ingredients and my own muffin recipes I concocted a version of muffins to try. Once they were in the oven the kitchen began to smell so sweetly I couldn't wait for them to finish baking and the end result was great; colourful, fragrant, tasty and very healthy.

Celebrity Chefs are becoming a regular on Australian TV. It's not just on the cooking programmes but promoting various supermarkets and competing heavily for everyone's dollar. There's also the branding - the cake mixes, frozen desserts and spice mixes which celebrity chefs, or ex Master Chef contestants are now flogging.  I'm not sure I agree with all this commercialisation. There is nothing wrong with healthy, home cooked, seasonal food prepared well. It doesn't need frozen or pre prepared vegetables sold in plastic or cardboard; just adding fresh herbs and spices will bring out the best flavours in everything you cook.

Jamie's doing a good job in encouraging people to try something a little healthier and giving a heads up on how to prepare a meal with little fat and sugar! Can't be all bad! I honestly think you can eat these muffins at any time of day and if you are running late for work grab one to eat on the way.

BREAKFAST MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

600 grams peeled, grated sweet potato
3 - 4 large eggs
250 g wholemeal plain flour
4 spring onions finely sliced
1 red chilli finely sliced
200 g low fat cottage cheese
100 g parmesan or cheddar cheese grated
a large handful of parsley chopped
salt and pepper
Oil for greasing

For the topping

1 red chilli finely chopped
few sprigs of parsley

Grab your large muffin pan and some baking paper. Cut squares of baking paper that will fit nicely into the pans. Grease them using oil and a pastry brush and set aside.

In a large bowl add grated potato, spring onions, chilli, parsley and mix. Add the beaten eggs and the flour and mix again. Season with salt and pepper and mix in the cheeses.

You will need to use a large spoon to spoon the mixture onto the baking paper and into the muffin pans. I found the easiest way to do this was to take the paper in my hand, fill it and then drop it into the muffin pan. It made 12 nice sized muffins.

Finely slice the second chilli and sprinkle on the top with a little parsley and place in a pre heated moderate oven 180º/ 350 F for around 30 minutes. They should be reasonably firm and slightly browned on the top. Eat them warm or cold - delicious either way.