Christmas Muffins

I decided to make some muffins with a Christmas inspired taste. The smell of spices will fill your kitchen and then you get to scoff the labours of your hard work, perfect!

You can vary the spices and fruit to your taste or what you have available.

Conversion chart via Delia here http://www.deliaonline.com/home/conversion-tables.html

Muffins bit

300g plain flour

180g soft brown sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice or your favourite blend of spices)

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

190g vegetable or sunflower oil (I like to weigh this for a more accurate measurement)

200g dried fruit, your choice (I used sultanas and cranberries)

Grated zest of one orange

Glaze bit

100g sieved icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract/bean paste

1-2 tbsp milk

To decorate I used some sliced almonds and glacé cherries

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan 180°C) 400°F Gas mark 6

Makes 12 muffins

Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases

The muffin bit

In a large mixing bowl sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the sugar and stir to combine. I like to use a balloon whisk to do this. Add in the dried fruit and orange zest, mix with a wooden spoon.

In a small bowl crack the eggs and briefly beat then add the oil and beat until mixed and creamy.

Add the wet to the dry and mix firmly and quickly until just combined. The mixture will be fairly stiff. Do not over mix as this makes the muffins heavy. Spoon in to the muffin cases and bake until just firm and skewer entered will come out clean, about 23-28 minutes.

Allow to cool completely.

The Icing glaze bit

Place the sieved icing sugar in a small bowl add the vanilla and 1 tbsp milk, mix well, a small whisk is helpful for this. You may need to add a little more milk to get a smooth, drizzling consistency but not too much that it’s really runny.

Drizzle with a teaspoon over the muffins and then, if you wish, add some sliced almonds and a glacé half. Enjoy ♥