Fruity Peanut Butter Muffins
I recently enjoyed perusing the range of cereal bars at the supermarket, each offering a unique combination of oats, fruit and nuts. These ingredients are the common stuff of muffins too but suddenly I realized my muffin collection was missing a popular flavour: peanut butter. So here is a new addition.
With "healthy" in mind, I've kept the peanut butter to a minimum - so that each muffin contains only 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut butter and 1 teaspoon oil. The subtle peanut butter flavour combined with the goodness of oats, raisins, apricots and yogurt make these muffins an ideal alternative to snack bars. If your kids prefer a plain peanut butter muffin, you can omit the dried fruit (and reduce the water by about 2 Tablespoons so the batter isn't too wet). If you'd like to try "peanut butter chocolate chip muffins", replace the dried fruit with 3 oz (85g) plain chocolate chips.
Fruity Peanut Butter Muffins
Makes 12 standard-size
8 oz (225 g) plain flour (1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) soda bicarbonate
¼ teaspoon (1.2 ml) salt
1 large egg
4 oz soft light brown sugar (½ cup)
2 fl oz (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 fl oz (120 ml) plain yogurt
2 oz (60 g) rolled oats (2/3 cup)
3 oz (85 g) crunchy peanut butter (= 5 Tablespoons; approx. 1/3 cup)
2 oz (60 g) raisins, chopped (= 1/3 cup)
2 oz (60 g) dried apricots, chopped (= 1/3 cup)
4 fl oz (120 ml) milk
3-4 fl oz (90-120 ml) water
Method
1. Prepare muffin tins with paper cases or grease. Preheat oven to 375-400°F (190-200°C) for a conventional oven, Gas Mark 5-6.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda bicarbonate and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg briskly with a fork. Stir in sugar, oil, yogurt, oats, peanut butter, raisins and apricots. Continue stirring until any large clumps of peanut butter are broken up. Stir in milk and water.
4. Scrape all of liquid mixture into dry. Using a metal spoon mix lightly until evenly combined, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl as you stir. This mixing should take only about 30 seconds. The batter should have a loose dropping consistency and no dry flour should be visible. (Be prepared to adjust the amount of liquid to give correct consistency.)
5. Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until tops are lightly browned and spring back when pressed lightly. If your finger leaves an indent, continue baking until done.
