Wildish

Muffins, or as I like to call them, “breakfast cupcakes”, are never inappropriate.  You can eat them in the morning, you can eat them for a snack, you can eat them at night, you can eat them on the go. Nobody says “don’t you know what time it is/where you are? Are you seriously going to eat a muffin now?”like they might if you were eating a cupcake at 8 am, which I do, but I’ve come to realize is not totally socially acceptable. Where cupcakes are fun, the life of the party, turnin’ heads, the muffin is like the invisible man.

I think this is because muffins are not always that good. Lets be frank, we’ve all had those way too cakey muffins. Now, that might sound weird coming form me, but they are way to sweet and heavy. What seems to have happened is that some of the mass producers of muffins took all the fat and sugar that would have gone on top and made it a cupcake and put it in the batter. I’m ok with a little sweet something on top and yes a muffin should be pleasantly sweet, but it should not be pound cake in disguise. They also shouldn’t be gigantic.

Yeah, I understand everybody wants a little something sweet for breakfast, but it should be sweet in the right places. The base in my opinion should be just sweet enough, with a sweet crunch on top, or a berries inside, perhaps a light flavourful glaze or toasted coconut. Why not decorate them too? Yes, this my friends is a breakfast cupcake, wholesome and pleasantly sweet, maybe with a little extra something on top, pretty, and perfect for any occasion any time. Perfect for coffee Breaks. That’s my kinda thing! That’s what I’ve been working on for days in the kitchen lab.

I’ve become so obsessed with breakfast cupcakes that I think I’ve made seven or eight batches over the past few days. Four batches were made in preparation for hurricane earl, which hit Nova Scotia a few days ago. Now I just need to come up with the decorations.

Over the next few days I’ll post the recipes I’ve come up with. Give them a try, I’m sure you’ll like them. They are also suitable for people who are allergic to dairy- I have a sister and many friends who can’t eat dairy and I was thinking of them when I came up with the blueberry recipe in the first place.

Recipe no 1. Blueberry with a sprinkling of oats and almonds

Dry:
2 cups all purpose flour,
1 1/2 tsp baking powder,
1 cup granulated sugar,
1/4 tsp sea salt,
1/8 tsp nutmeg,
1/4 cup oats,
1/8 cup slivered almonds,
1/8 cup chopped walnuts,
Wet:
2 large eggs,
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vanilla soy milk,
1/2 cup soy oil,
2 tsps vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla + 1 pure almond extract, also yummy)

Last, but not least:
2 cups of fresh blueberries (tossed in flour)

This recipe is very easy, you will just need two bowls, a whisk and a spoon or spatula for folding. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in the first bowl, then whisk all of the wet ingredients together in the second bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour on the wet mixture. Using a spoon or spatula gently mix the two together just until combined. Finally gently fold in the berries, being careful not to break them.

Fill muffin tins until almost full, they will puff up quite a bit, but they won’t run over the sides of muffin liners. Bake at 350f until you see a bit of golden brown on top, which will take about 25-35 minutes. These are nice with a bit of a crisp top.

Happy baking! =)