Vanillicious.com – Easy Desserts

Best Muffin Recipe

No, this is not just a catchy headline, these muffins really turned to be the best I’ve ever baked.

The credentials for this recipe and tips go to Natalie Levin, a pastry chef. As a big fan (well, and a muffin lover, too) I decided to give this recipe a try and since I just loved these fabulous muffins, I must share!

Some muffins tips before you go and bake these little wonders:

• The following recipe will make 12 normal sized muffins and will require 5cm bottom diameter muffin paper cases.
• This can be a great basic muffin recipe, and blueberries can be replaced with almost any other berry or fruit of your choice (raspberries, apricots, nectarines etc).
• When stirring, use a wooden spoon and mix only until all ingredients blend together. Don’t over-mix, and this will give your muffins the right, dense texture that
• Bake the muffins immediately. The longer the mixture sits, it’ll contain less leavening power.
• Bake the muffins until a skewer inserted in to the centre comes out with moisty crumbs, not totally clean. That will keep them soft for few more days.
• If necessary, these muffins can be freeze up to a month.

Click here to read up this recipe!

Chocolate Muffins

This recipe is courtesy of Marta A (yes, Marta without h), the most talented food photographer I know. These were baked in her kitchen one afternoon, and while baked, and enjoying the new set and accessories of that particular photography location and the lighting at her apartment, which is much better than in mine. So I was trying to make the most out of it.

As I already mentioned, muffins are one of the easiest and quickest desserts ever, and everybody just love ‘em! And please, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!

So how easy is the art of preparing the muffin batter? So easy, that I can put it together in one sentence: mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another, then pour the mixed wet ingredients in the mixed dry ones and mix until just incorporated.

The rest – spooning into the cases is just too much fun (especially the finger licking part) to be considered as part of the no too much time consuming process.

The pictured muffins are drizzled with some Irish cream frosting, and here’s how it’s done: Mix Irish cream and icing sugar in a 1:3 proportions (for example: 1 tbsp Irish cream, 3 tbsp icing sugar), and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Then mix again and pour over the muffins. that’s it.

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There’s nothing better than beating an urge for a home-made treat, with muffins. Very easy to prepare and it has a relatively short baking time. Basically, this recipe can be used for many muffin variation, just replace the berries with almost any addition of your choice. I’ll keep posting different muffin variations from time to time and even present a healthier version as well.

If you prefer, the following batter can be baked as a cake. Just place in the right tin and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Click here to read up this recipe!