Blueberry Angel Muffins - Fat Free and Healthy

I spent so much creating this blog and feel terrible that I have not posted something in 6 months!  In my earlier post I mentioned that I left Seoul and am now living in Beijing.  I've also started working again which has been a major detterant in my baking adventures.  A lot of changes in the past 6 months, a major family move to a new country, finding a new home, start of a new job, kids starting school... all contributing to a total neglect of my blog.

Since I don't have as much time as before to bake, I have decided to share recipes that I have tried or fun ideas that I have come across. 

My little baking assistant

 I have found some time to bake on the weekends and when I saw fresh blueberries at the supermarket that were so reasonably priced compared to the ones in Korea, I bought a small box.  The first thing that came to mind was to try the Blueberry Angel Muffins  from The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses and Melinda Clark.

Now I am a big fan of cupcakes but not so much of the muffin (I can never finish one!) but these are no ordinary muffins.  They have a lighter texture and crumb.  In fact they seem to be more like a steamed cake rather than a muffin, perhaps it is the lack of fat in the recipe.  Whatever it is, they are easy to devour and I can easily eat 3 and feel like having more.  They are a healthier alternative and the sweeter the blueberries, the faster they will disappear.

Blueberry Angel Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins
2/3 cups cake flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups blueberries
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 large egg whites(a little less than a cup)
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus some for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Place muffin liners in 12 muffin tins or grease with baking spray. Heat the oven to 375F.
Sift the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt into a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, toss the blueberries and vanilla.

Blueberries tossed with vanilla essence

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 tablespoon or granulated sugar and continue beating on medium until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining granulated sugar and raise the speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form. Once the stiff peaks are reached, remove the bowl from the mixer and immediately sprinkle the flour mixture and lemon zest on top.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form

Flour mixture spinkled onto the egg whites

Fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Fold in half of the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle remaining blueberries and sugar on top (for some reason the sugar didn't caramalise as in the picture so I popped it under the grill briefly to achieve that slightly golden colour). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from tins and let cool for 15 minutes before eating.

 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

This recipe is from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook and the recipe is the base for all their holiday cookies. Roll it out and use shaped biscuit cutters to make your own festive cookies – great fun for the kids to make. See the next post to cover the cookies in fondant!

Makes about 20

200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
280 g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
400 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Royal Icing
1 egg white
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
310 g icing sugar, sifted
food colouring, optional
shaped biscuit cutters
4 baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.

2. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

3. Add the flour, salt and cream of tartar and mix well, but don’t overmix. The dough should be light, soft and easy to handle.

4. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut out shapes with your choice of biscuit cutters.

5. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Check them regularly to make sure they are not burning. The cookies should be very light golden on the outer edges and paler in the centre.

6. When you are happy that they are cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

7. For the royal icing: Beat the egg white and lemon juice together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk). Gradually start adding the icing sugar, mixing well after each addition to ensure all sugar is incorporated. Whisk until you get stiff peaks. If the icing is too runny, add a little more sugar.

8. Stir in a couple of drops of food colouring, if using, and decorate the cookies.