30-day Muffin Batter

My baby sister (Miss G) came to stay this weekend to get some advice on a presentation she has to do at university next week. As its her final year she has been working really hard on dissertations, presentations,course work and preparation for her final exams. I decided that while she was here she deserved a little TLC, dinner served before 9 pm and some pampering - it also gave me the opportunity to make muffins for breakfast.

I decided to give Rachel Allan's 30-day muffin recipe a go, this is for a batter that can be kept in the fridge for up to 30-days and different 'fillings' added giving a wide variety of muffins. This recipe appeals to me as my favorite muffin is Cherry and Almond - two things that definitely don't appeal to Mr M - and by using this batter I can make myself a few of my favorites without feeling guilty or that I have to eat a whole batch of 10-12 muffins on my own! For Saturdays breakfast I tried out some Banana and Maple Syrup muffins to use up a very ripe banana in the fruit bowl, and some some Berry muffins to use up the last of the fruit in my freezer.

The result was some very tasty little muffins, although they were far from the huge over sweetened muffins found in high street coffee shops, and I am looking forward to trying out some more flavour combinations. I will post for the Berry muffins and Banana muffins today and will do a round up post of all the flavour combinations I try out using up the 30-day batter (I have a suspicion that the batter will be used up well before its 30 day expiry date).

I have given my own variations in ingredients.

30-day Muffin Recipe

Makes around 30 muffins

(Adapted from Bake by Rachel Allen)

3 eggs

125 g soft light brown sugar

100 g golden caster sugar

500 ml skim milk

125 ml grape seed oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

 300 g plain flour

 1/2 tsp salt

 2 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda

 160 g wholemeal flour

25 g wheat bran

• Preheat the oven to 175oC (fan assisted). Line muffin tin with paper cases.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar in a jug. Add the milk, oil and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Sift the plain flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the wholemeal flour and wheat bran.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. This is the basic batter.
• Add the 'fillings' of your choice and fill the paper cases 3/4 full and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until set and spongy to touch.

Banana and Maple Syrup muffins: Makes 4 muffins. 200 ml 30-day muffin batter, 1 very ripe banana mashed, 30 ml maple syrup.

Mixed Berry muffins: Makes 4 muffins. 200 ml 30-day muffin batter, 150 g frozen berries (defrosted).