Friday 24 May 2013

Mullet Muffins: Party on the Top, Business on the Bottom


A few weeks ago we went to visit my in-laws.  Whenever we go to visit I like to bring some sort of homemade baked good with us.  We have some during the visit and then it's a nice way to thank them for having us by leaving the leftovers behind.

This past visit I was posed with a tricky situation as we also have a munchy little toddler on our hands, who is so keyed into food that any sweet treat has to be eaten whilst crouched in a darkened closet at midnight to avoid her doe eyes and smacking lips.  Not that she leads a 100% sugar-free existence... but we are trying to lead by example.

That being said, one can only eat so many wheat germ, whole grain, dried fruit so-called-pastries before wanting to dive head first into a giant bowl of brown sugar and butter.  And it's also not much of a parting gift to leave behind muffins that can only be described as "good for you" or "healthy" (rather than any sort of comment on what they might actually taste like, or any joy that might be derived from tastebuds rather than colons).  The trick was to marry the two, creating what I have decided to name  "mullet muffins"- with a party on the top and business on the bottom.



The Top:

I used Joy the Baker's Coffee Cake Muffin recipe (one of my favourite blogs) for the topping- making a delicious cinnamony struesel that completely distracts from the wholegrain goodness of the bottom.  I think the main reason for my obsession with coffee cake is the struesel on top.  "Struesel" by the way is a fancy (German) word for cinnamony, sugary butter.  Sounds more refined to add struesel to a muffin than the backbone ingredients of Cinnabon 

The Bottom:

I used the old Divertimenti Cafe's muffin recipe, using light wholewheat flour instead of white, lots of greek yoghurt for protein and adding in several heaping handfuls of raspberries.

The result was something I was happy to share with Nell and the in-laws without feeling guilty about either.

Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins

300g/ 21/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 tbs baking Powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
250ml natural greek yoghurt
25g melted butter & a little for lining your muffin tin
½tsp kitchen salt
1tsp vanilla paste
2 big handfuls frozen raspberries

For Struesel Topping
3 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
64g/ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method:

To prepare the tins brush them with melted butter and line with flour- or use paper muffin cases.

Melt 125g butter and set aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl break the eggs and whisk with a fork.  Add the melted butter and yoghurt and stir thoroughly. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together until thoroughly incorporated.


Add the raspberries and stir through.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, dividing it equally.  Combine all ingredients for struesel topping together and mix with your fingers until crumbly.  Sprinkle over each batter-filled tin.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175C for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean and tops are golden brown. Remove and leave to cool down in the tin for approximately ten minutes before turning out.