The beloved pairing of autumn blackberries and juicy apples makes the homeliest of muffins. Blackberries, those cherished gifts of the hedgerow, can be picked in season and frozen to use later in the year. For this recipe, you can use the blackberries straight from the freezer, but you will need to bake the muffins for 3–4 minutes longer.
Ingredients
- 125 g plain flour
- 125 g wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of sea salt
- 125 ml milk
- 125 ml plain yoghurt
- 1 egg
- 125 g honey
- 125 g honey
- 100 ml unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g blackberries
- 1 medium dessert apple (100–125 g), unpeeled, cored and finely diced
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, to finish
Equipment
- 12 hole muffin tray, holes about 6.5 cm in diameter and 2 cm deep, 10 lightly greased or lined with 10 paper muffin cases or 15 cm baking parchment squares
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Sift the first five ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Make sure they are evenly blended together by either mixing with a spoon or beating with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds on the lowest speed.
- Next put the measured milk, yoghurt, egg, honey, butter and vanilla extract into a mixing jug or bowl. Beat together until well combined and the mixture is like a very thick batter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir very lightly, scraping down the sides, until just combined, with no clumps of dry flour lurking in the bottom of the bowl. Add the blackberries and diced apples and mix through lightly.
- Divide the mixture between the muffin cups, filling each to three-quarters full (this will be about one fully laden tablespoonful per cup). For lightly crisp, glazed tops, dust with sifted icing sugar before they go into the oven. (Alternatively, dust with icing sugar once baked.)
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until well risen and the tops are golden. The muffins should spring back into shape when lightly touched.