'Good Morning' Muffins with Oats, Carrots, Apple, Raisins, Pecans and Autumn Spice
These healthy muffins are naturally sweetened and packed with fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds - an ideal way to fuel the body at the beginning of a busy day. Makes 8
Ingredients
Topping:
- 20g unsalted butter
- 10g runny honey
- 25g chopped pecans, or your choice of nuts
- 15g plain flour
- 15g jumbo oats
- 1½ teaspoon mixed seeds
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon Autumn/Pumpkin Spice powder (See Recipe Notes)
- pinch of fine salt
Wet ingredients:
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 very ripe small banana, mashed. (80 - 90g skin off)
- 50g runny honey - or maple syrup or caster sugar if you prefer
- 40g natural yoghurt
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 75g plain/all-purpose flour
- 25g jumbo oats
- 25g ground almonds
- 1½ teaspoons Autumn/Pumpkin Spice powder (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of/baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 50g grated apple
- 50g grated carrot
- 25g raisins, or sultanas or your choice of dried fruit
- 25g chopped pecans, or your choice of nuts
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat oven to Fan Oven 200°C /220°C/425°F/Gas 7
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Make the topping: melt the butter and honey in a saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients.
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Stir to mix thoroughly and pop in the fridge whilst you prepare the rest of the muffins.
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Collect the wet ingredients together and mix: melt the honey and butter together and stir to mix well. You can do this either in the microwave or in a saucepan.
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Add the banana, yoghurt, egg and vanilla extract.
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Mix well – I use a small balloon whisk.
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Now mix together the dry ingredients: add the flour, oats, ground almonds, spice, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda to the wet ingredients.
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Stir until it is partly mixed in.
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Add the carrots, apple, nuts and raisins and fold into the muffin batter. Do not over-mix the batter.
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Divide into muffin cases and add the topping: use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into 8 muffin cases.
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Take the topping out of the fridge, crumble and scatter equally over the tops of muffins.
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Cook in the centre of a preheated oven for 5 minutes.
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After 5 minutes, turn the oven down to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and continue to cook for a further 15 - 20 minutes or until cooked.
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They are cooked when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffins comes out clean
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Remove from the muffin tin after 5 minutes and leave to cool on a cooling rack.
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Delicious served as they are or warmed with salted butter and/or runny honey.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- microwave safe mixing bowl or saucepan
- balloon whisk
- ice cream scoop
- muffin tin and 8 paper cases
- grater
- chopping board and knife
Autumn/Pumpkin Spice:
If you do not have any Autumn Spice -use the following mix -
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ⅓ teaspoon ginger powder
- ⅓ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅙ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅙ teaspoon all spice
Storing muffins:
Like most muffins, this recipe is best eaten the day it is made. They do store well though and will keep up to 3 days covered at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. (Remember to take them out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature before eating.) Muffins can be quickly warmed in the microwave.
These muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Cover and put them in the freezer as soon as possible but make sure they have completely cooled before bagging. Defrost in the fridge overnight. If you are making packed lunches, freeze some muffins in individual bags – pop them, frozen, into a packed lunch in the morning and they will be defrosted by lunch time.