Toffee Apple Muffins
Whenever I think of Bonfire Night, leaving aside the fireworks and the massive bonfires, I always think of the food - roasted chestnuts, toffee apples and warming jacket potatoes. Reflecting on my memories of 5th November, I came up with something which makes a sweet end to any firework night.
INGREDIENTS
For the muffins
- 165g Plain flour
- 1tsp Ground cinnamon
-1/2tsp Ground ginger
- 1.5tsp Baking powder
- 1Egg
- 50g Dark brown sugar
- 125ml Milk
- 1.5tsp Caramel Flavouring (similar to bottles of extract you can buy at supermarkets)
- 65g Melted butter
- 3 Regular apples (Peeled, cored and coursely grated)
For the icing
- 500g Icing sugar (sifted)
- 250g Butter (softened)
- 2tsp Caramel flavouring
- 1/2tbsp Milk (to loosen icing if required)
METHOD
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (fan) and prepare a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Sift the flour, spices and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together egg, sugar, milk, caramel and melted butter.
- When ready sift the flour mixture (for the second time) into the egg mixture and mix together thoroughly before gently folding in the grated apple.
- Spoon evenly into muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes in your oven.
- Once baked allow the muffins to cool while you prepare you icing.
- Make your icing by beating together the icing sugar, butter and caramel.
- Slowly add milk until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Either pipe of spread icing on your cooled muffins.
- To decorate I made caramel spirals (by melting down 150g granulated sugar and shaping around a steel round knife sharpener ) but you could also decorate with caramel shards or spun sugar nests. (Note that spun sugar/ caramel will not last very long once on your buttercream so decorate close to serving).
