Strawberry and White Chocolate Muffins
With the end of summer approaching, this is my attempt to hold onto the season for just a little while longer.
Straight from the oven, believe me this is a moreish, weekend bake that you will be glad you tried. That irresistible combination of juicy strawberries and sweet white chocolate, what’s not to like ?
Ingredients
(Makes 12)
220ml of milk
20ml of lemon juice ( approximately 1/2 lemon )
115g unsalted butter, melted
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs ( room temperature)
65g of plain yoghurt
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 + 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
315g plain flour
100g of fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
150g white chocolate
Method
1. Place muffin cases into a muffin tray.( see notes )
2. Place the milk and lemon juice into a glass jug, stir and allow this to turn into a buttermilk substitute.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together until it is pale and smooth.
4. Add the eggs into the mixture and whisk until pale (a further 2-3 minutes)
5. Add the milk and lemon mix, vanilla, plain yoghurt and oil and whisk until everything is well combined.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
7. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and with a spatula, very carefully fold just until no dry flour is obvious. Do not over mix and lumps and clumps are fine.
8. In a small bowl, give the jam a mix to soften and then chop up the strawberries and add to the jam. Stir through to give them a jammy glaze.
9. Chop up the white chocolate,
10. Add the jammy strawberries and white chocolate chunks into the mix and give a brief stir to disperse.
11. Do not mix again
12. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
13. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius
14. Divide the batter equally, without stirring or mixing into the cases. If using tulip paper cases, fill above the height of the tray.
15. Bake for 5 minutes, then without opening the door, turn the temperature down to 190 degrees Celsius and bake for 15-20 further minutes.
16. Allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling
Notes
I like to use tulip muffin cases for my muffins because I am not a big fan of the `mushroom top’ style finished bake. Tulip cases keep the muffins rising upwards, rather than spreading across your tin. You can also create larger muffins using this style of paper case because I pile my batter mix above tin height, knowing it is secure in the case.
This next point is very important. Use 2 baking tins, with empty alternate muffin holes spaces, to ensure an even rise and this trick really does help with the bake.
Another good baking trick is to add a little layer of dry rice grains to the bottom of each muffin hole before adding the paper cases. The reason behind this is that it will stop the base of your muffin case being oily after baking.
If you are going to eat them over a couple of days, always reheat for 10-20 seconds in the microwave to rehydrate. It really does make all the difference!
They do freeze brilliantly. Wrap whilst still warm and trap in the moisture. Freeze and to defrost, allow them to defrost in their clingfilm or bag and only unseal just before eating. I reheat for 10 seconds but this is optional.