Muesli Muffins!

There's so much goodness in these muesli breakfast muffins that you might be wondering what has come all over me (and no I haven't come over all healthy I promise, taste is the most important thing!). Made with home made toasted muesli or granola, these have goodness from oats, seeds, nuts, spices, goji berries, ginger, rose petals and berries. Or just shortcut these and use your favourite bought muesli!

These muffins are (if I am to be immmodest) as pretty as they are tasty. Dear Reader you may have noticed a dearth of muffin recipes because I prefer cupcakes but when muffins are healthy then I am fully behind it. But with a dozen breakfast muffins and a husband that doesn't like baked goods (How does that happen out of everyone in the world?) I gave them to him to take to work. I was not going to let these go to waste as there are so many good quality ingredients in these and they are a labour of love. But I did caution him to let people know that these are healthy muffins. At his work there's a facebook group where they make announcements and just after lunch he delivered me the bad news.

"The muffins aren't very popular," he wrote, which for the baker is akin to an anvil crashing down on your head.

What he actually meant was that prefacing the muffin call-out with the fact that they were healthy was perhaps a mistake because nobody was coming to get them. The people that did get them though really loved them and wanted the recipe. They said things like, "I was surprised how good it is," to "SO GOOD OMFG" to one lovely girl who asked for the recipe a few times and took some home for her boyfriend and parents in law. A dozen muffins disappeared into mouths and bags. So they're weren't popular but they were popular if you get my drift ;).

Speaking of popular or unpopular things, I'm finding it really hard to find people to practice my latest hobby of singing and karaoke with. Mr NQN has major stage fright while Nina doesn't want to do anything where she isn't the best at it. Garth is the only one that wants to do it but it is just strange if he and I go together by ourselves because I am strongest at Whitney power ballads (awks!).

So I sing at home by myself when baking. I sang my heart out while I was baking these muffins. I even sang my heart out when that afternoon I arrived at training ten minutes early. I figured that the car would insulate against sound and that someone belting out Whitney Houston in her car at Centennial Park wouldn't be strange at all. And then I parked the car at home and go out to take out shopping bags. And then I realised that my car isn't soundproof at all and that probably accounted for the odd looks I received in the park!

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your hobby? Do you find that you go for more popular or unpopular choices in life? Do you warn people when food is healthy?

Breakfast Bowl Muesli Muffins

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

For home made granola (use a packaged one if you want too but this is pretty awesome)

• 225g/8ozs. rolled oats
• 120g/4ozs. mixed seeds (I used a mix of black sesame seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds)
• 100g/3.5ozs. hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 100g/3.5ozs. brown sugar
• 120ml/4 flozs. apple juice
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup crystallised ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
• 1/2 cup goji berries

For Muffins

• 1.5 cups flour (half wholemeal and half plain/all purpose)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 shot espresso coffee
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 cups above granola
• 1 cup frozen berries (or fresh)
• 1 cup granola extra to sprinkle

To decorate

• Extra goji berries, dried rose petals and fresh berries

Step 1 - Line a baking tray with parchment and preheat oven to 170°C/325°F. In a large mixing bowl mix the oats, seeds, nuts, brown sugar, dried spices, apple juice and oil. Spread out on prepared tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 2 - Mix with a spatula to distribute the outer bits (which will be more cooked and toasted) with the bits in the centre. Bake for another 20 minutes and then cool. Mix with the crystallised ginger, strawberries and goji berries.

Step 3 - Line a 12 hole muffin tray with liners and preheat oven to 140C/284F. In a bowl whisk the flours, sugar, bicarb, baking powder and salt. In a jug measure the buttermilk, oil and coffee and whisk in the egg. Fold into the flour with the granola and the berries until just combined. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture into the liners and sprinkle with extra granola. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Top with extra goji berries, rose petals and fresh berries.