chocolate chip so called 'muffins'

Although I do often like to make things which are a bit different or have a twist sometimes there can be a comfort in making something familiar with an expected taste outcome.
I wanted to make something with the ingredients I already had at home, and I wanted it to be quick and easy.

I decided to go with chocolate chip muffins and found this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-muffins-9326.

I thought as these were called 'muffins' they would fit in to muffin cases, but turns out they were really only cupcake size! Still, they tasted like muffins just slightly smaller in size as you can see in the pictures above.

After they cooled down I decorated them with chocolate buttercream and chocolate shavings. This was mostly because cake deserves a sugary hit of buttercream and also because they were small, it added an extra dimension to them and brought out the chocolate flavour.

I was a bit disappointed regarding the size of the so called ‘muffins’ and they didn’t turn out like I expected, but I still managed to make them into something more appetising. I think that it is always useful to be able to make the best out of whatever you make if it doesn’t initially turn out how you expect. It allows you to be creative, inventive and most of all have fun! You never know what you may turn out with.

Butternut squash - sweet or savoury?

So new blog, new challenge. When I bake I like to make things which are different. I like to either make a twist on a standard recipe or just try things out which may seem a bit unusual.

Today I baked butternut squash muffins. I'm a big fan of butternut squash and had some left over. I was wondering what to do with it when it occurred to me - use it in baking! After having a good look on the internet I found a butternut squash muffin recipe which appealed to me, and which I knew I could make with ingredients at home. Unfortunately I cant remember where I got the recipe from but this is it:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

What you need for 6-8 muffins

About 200g of butternut squash, de-seeded, peeled and finely grated

175g light brown sugar (I used caster sugar as it’s what I had to hand)

2 large free-range eggs

150g plain flour, unsifted

1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

A handful of walnuts, finely chopped

A handful of raisins

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

87.5 ml of olive oil – 85ml will probably be fine

METHOD

To make your muffin mixture, add your finely grated uncooked butternut squash to a big mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.

Add your eggs and give everything a really good mix.

Now add a pinch of salt, your unsifted flour, your baking powder, your chopped walnuts, your raisins, cinnamon and finally your olive oil. Give it a good mix.

Pour your mixture into your muffin tray cases. Pop into the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes at 180C.

Take your muffins out of your tray and let them cool for a bit on a wire rack.

They turned out great! Really moist and strangely had a banana taste! They were sweet enough and a great use for any left over butternut squash. I will definitely be making these again. I did actually use pecans instead of walnuts but I think any nuts would be good, and maybe you could add different dried fruits also.

The muffins will last about week as they are made from olive oil which will keep them moist, and I would keep them in a tin or tupperware to make sure they dont go stale. Definitely a recipe to make again, and it could also be made in to a savoury recipe by adding cheese or chives if you wished.

Third times a charm

Well I have so far had my attempt at two previous blogs. Both which unfortunately due to my laziness I have given up. I didn't feel either of them had direction and they didn't really reflect me, which is what I believe is the main purpose of a blog!

So I start today with recent inspiration. This blog is me. My two favourite things are baking and fashion. Don't get me wrong I am no expert in either area, but I want to be able to explore and share my ideas, likes and loves with you - whoever you are!

Here's to a baking and fashion adventure, lets hope the journey is both delicious and looking fabulous!

xoxo