Monday, 15 December 2014

BAKING UP YOUR BRAIN BERRIES

Recipe: Blueberry Muffnins

Time taken: Three quarters of an hour

Ingredients: 250g of self-raising flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, 50g of marg, 50g of sugar, 2 eggs, 250ml of milk aaaand 175g of fresh blueberries!

Hi there readers,

On our Christmas countdown… it’s only ten days to go! That’s right! Not many sleeps left at all until we’ll hear those sleigh bells jingling, readers. And things are very festive here. 

Today, the home brood braved Meadowhall shopping centre. Yes we did. We had a pretty focused raid and managed to get a shitload of gifts bought, without losing the will to live inside there. Narrowly. We went, we conquered! Cue ChefBehere war cryyyyy… ok.

So, things also progressed with my mission to eat the most indulgent foods I possibly can while home. My dad bought blueberries! Oh yeah. I literally, readers, haven’t had a blueberry since summer. This makes me so sad but it’s true. Blueberries cost outrageous amounts here in the UK, especially in winter. Factually, they’re impossible for the student to afford. Without selling blood or a major organ. Or rationing one blueberry per day. It’s heartbreaking.

So near (in every Tesco)… yet so far

But my dad loves his blueberries and SO DO I. So they’re in the hooouse! And this morning they were on my granola, too. Yum!

My berryful breakfast

Readers, if you’re in a house loaded with blueberries, I hope you’re taking full advantage of this! They’re such tasty berries and they’re really good for your skin and your heart, packed full of goodness. And the stop your brain ageing and prevent memory loss! That’s right. So people call them brain berries. :) Blueberries.  Are. Awesome.

And you can do so much with them! You can throw em on your cereal… whizz em in a smoothie … stir em up in a yoghurt… snack on em straight from the tub. OR BAKE EM UP. And they’re so good in so many recipes! Blueberry jelly, blueberry pie, blueberry scones.

OR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS! Here’s how to make this happen (the Mary Berry way)…

1.      Heat your oven to 200ᵒC.
2.       Line a muffin tray with paper cases.
3.       Measure your flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
4.       Add your marg and rub this in with your fingertips, until the mix turns into fine breadcrumbs.
5.       Stir in your sugar and blueberries.
6.       In a measuring jug, measure out your milk.
7.       Crack your eggs into the jug and use a fork to stir them up with the milk.
8.       Make a well in the centre of your dry mix and pour the milk mix into this well.
9.       Stir everything together into a lumpy goo!
ChefBeHere Top tip: Try not to smush your blueberries. This will make the muffins turn blue. Although, if you want blue muffins… go for it!
10.   Spoon your mix out into the paper cases so that they’re two-thirds full. The mix should stretch to make 8-12 muffins.
11.   Safely transport your muffins into the oven!
12.   Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden, well risen and firm to touch.
13.   Safely get your muffins out of the oven and either leave them to cool on a wire rack or serve them warm as a tasty treat for your flatmates, friends and family!

And that’s how it’s done! Here’s some I made earlier. :)

Note: There are only six muffins left in this picture as my flatmates were all over them! As soon as these babies left the oven they were under attack. And that’s great! I love to bake something which you can watch rise through the oven door and which fills the flat with a bakingy smell. And I always like to bake with fruit, so I’m providing some small nutrition for the girls! These muffins went really well.

Give them a go! How are yours?? Did they turn out ok? Did you leave your blueberries whole or make blue alien muffins instead? Did you get berry goo bubbling on the top of your muffins like with mine? I’ve heard some people say before that they’ve tried to make muffins like these but all their blueberries sank to the bottom and left the case soggy. This sounds terrible. Fortunately, it didn’t happen for me, did it happen for you? Does anyone know how to stop this from happening, maybe?

If you love blueberry muffins like me, share your love! If you aren’t a fan, what’s the deal? How have these gone wrong? Comment below!

I hope some of you are inspired to whip together a batch of blueberry muffins this December. Because they taste SO GOOD and blueberries really are very good for your health! And your popularity in the flat. I swear it. :D

Bake safely, readers,


Hayley



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