Glazed lemon loaf is what you make when you’re after something not too sweet that’s fuss-free to make. Lovely bright lemon flavour with buttery undertones, it’s a quick bread which means no yeast and easy to make. Excellent shelf life of 5 days!

Glazed lemon loaf

Quick breads are a great option for those times when you have the urge or need to bake, but don’t have the time for more involved recipes. They’re also convenient – easy to transport and easy to serve. Slice like bread and eat on a napkin!

As for today’s lemon glazed loaf, it’s here after I responded to a question on Facebook for how to convert my simple Lemon Yogurt Cake into a loaf. “Use the recipe as is but I’d switch half the oil with melted butter to get buttery flavour into it, because it’ll be taller than the cake so there’s less frosting-to-cake ratio so you’ll want the cake to have more flavour. I’d probably dial up the lemon flavour for the same reason. And it will take longer to bake – just keep testing with a skewer!”

By the time I got to the end of the response, the “just do this” suddenly seemed a little less simple. So I decided to create and properly test it, write it up and publish it! 😂

Ingredients in Glazed Lemon Loaf

Here’s what you need to make this. Note: Lemon extract is recommended for really good lemon flavour, but you can get away with doubling the zest instead!

• Yogurt – A “secret ingredient” in baking to make batters that bake up into lovely moist cakes, muffins etc. Any plain, unsweetened yogurt is fine here. I typically use Greek Yogurt. Substitute with sour cream (full fat).

• Flour – Just plain / all purpose flour. Self-rising flour can be used in place of flour and baking powder, however, the loaf won’t be quite as soft or rise as well. Baking powder + flour is just more effective.

• Baking powder – This makes this loaf rise.

• Butter AND oil – Butter adds lovely buttery flavour into baked goods while oil makes the crumb moist. In this particular loaf, I wanted to the best of both worlds so we’re using both! In most recipes, I use one or the other – or I use butter plus another technique to keep the crumb moist (like the more involved technique for the reader-favourite plush Vanilla Cake).

  Oil types – Vegetable or canola oil, or any other plain flavoured oil (such as sunflower, grapeseed oil) can be used. For the butter, use unsalted.

• Fresh lemon – Fresh please! We need the zest and juice. Zest is where all the lemon flavour is! Juice provides mostly tang, not much lemon flavour.

• Lemon extract (natural) – To make the lemon flavour in this un-missable! I really does enhance the lemon flavour in a way that you can’t achieve using just fresh lemons. But if you’ve got a stack of fresh lemons, feel free to skip this and double up on zest instead.

• Vanilla – For flavour. I use vanilla extract here which is real vanilla flavour. Vanilla essence is artificial so the flavour is not as good. I typically only use pricier vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans for more refined dessert recipes, such as the recently published Flan Pâtissier (the world’s greatest Custard Tart!)

• Sugar – Just 1 cup which makes this loaf on the less-sweet side.

• Eggs – At room temperature, so they incorporate easily into the batter. I use large eggs which are ~55g / 2 oz each, an industry standard so the eggs will be labelled “large eggs” on the carton. 

• Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the flavours. This is good general practice for all (well, most!) sweet baking recipes.

Lemon glaze

For the glaze, you just need soft icing sugar / powdered sugar and lemon juice. Australia – be sure to use soft icing sugar, not pure icing sugar which will set into a hard icing, like royal icing.

How to make this lemon loaf

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Mix wet into dry. Bake! How easy it that!

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl until combined.

3. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients then whisk just until combined and lump free. Don’t keep whisking as this will cause your cake to come out hard!

4. Pour / scrape the batter into a lined pan. (Note – when I say “lined pan”, I use a single sheet of baking / parchment paper to line the long sides and base. I don’t bother with the short side – no sticking problems if you grease it).

5. Bake 45 minutes uncovered, then loosely cover with foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6. Rest 10 minutes – Let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes (all cakes are very fragile when fresh out of the oven) before transferring it onto a cooling rack.

7. Cool – Use the paper overhang to lift it out onto a cooling rack, then cool completely for 3+ hours before glazing!

8. Glaze – To make the glaze, just mix the icing sugar (powdered sugar) and lemon juice together. Then spoon / spread it onto the surface, coaxing drips down the side.

⚠️ GLAZE THICKNESS CAUTIONARY NOTE!

I find glazes will go from seemingly too thick to way too thin with just even the barest smidge of extra liquid. So take care and be patient when mixing the glaze! I only use 3 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice for 1 cup of icing sugar. At first it will seem like there’s nowhere near enough liquid, but be patient, keep mixing! It will turn into a thick glaze that will drape over your lemon loaf rather than spreading into a thin, transparent (unsatisfying) glaze.

The no-glaze option

“Everybody” loves the glaze but actually, there’s a good case for a no-glaze version too. No glaze means you can toast it like bread – literally, in a toaster. Then slather with butter and for a really great finishing touch, drizzle with honey.

You can just imagine the flavour combo here, right?? Not-too-sweet lemony cake soaked with lightly salted melted butter and sweet honey. It’s so good I almost published this recipe without the glaze!!

Whichever way you go, glaze or no glaze, you can’t go wrong with this lemon loaf. It’s also one of those recipes that’s quite forgiving, so it’s a good one for those new to baking or if you have little helpers keen to get involved.

Stays fresh 5 days

And finally – this lemon loaf has an excellent shelf life. Regular readers know that I am notorious for extending the shelf life of baked goods! It used to drive me mad that people would just accept that homemade muffins would go stale overnight, and that cakes are best made on the day of serving as they lose freshness within 24 hours. Who has the time to bake fresh on the day, not to mention the disappointment of not being able to enjoy cakes for days afterwards? The reader-favourite Vanilla Cake and Cupcakes are probably the most famous example around here – they stay fresh for 4 to 5 days which is unheard of!

As for this lemon loaf – it’s perfect for 3 days, still great 5 days later. Keep it in the fridge if it’s warm where you are, but if not, the pantry is fine.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Glazed lemon loaf

Recipe video above. Just a lovely lemon loaf with really great lemon flavour that's fuss-free to make, easy to transport and serve. Oil and yogurt keeps the crumb moist while butter adds lovely flavour. It stays fresh for 5 days!

Everybody loves the lemon glaze but it's also terrific without because you can toast it, slather with butter then drizzle with honey. SO GOOD!

Course Baked, Cake, quick bread

Cuisine Western

Keyword Blueberry loaf bread, lemon bread, lemon loaf, No yeast bread, quick bread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Cooling 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8 – 10

Calories 367cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour (Note 1)
• 4 tsp baking powder (make sure yours is alive!)
• 1/8 tsp salt

Wet ingredients (Note 2 – room temp):

• 1 cup plain yogurt , at room temperature
• 2 large eggs (~55g/2oz each), at room temperature
• 75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
• 2 tbsp lemon zest (~2 large lemons)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups caster sugar / superfine sugar (sub normal/granulated sugar)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract – sub 1 tbsp extra zest (Note 3)

Glaze (optional):

• 1 cup soft icing sugar/powdered sugar , sifted
• 3 – 3 1/2 tsp+ lemon juice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Grease then line a 21 x 11 x 7 cm (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75") with baking / parchment paper. (Note 4)
• Batter – Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour Wet ingredients into the Dry ingredients. Whisk just until lump free. Pour into the prepared loaf pan then smooth the surface.
• Bake 45 minutes uncovered. Loosely cover with foil then bake a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Cool & glaze – Stand 10 min in pan then turn out onto a cooling rack. Fully cool before glazing (~3 hours). Use a spoon to spread and coax lovely glaze drips down the side! Cut thick slices and serve.
• Glaze – Whisk ingredients until combined and smooth, a thick smooth frosting that will drip thickly, not be transparent. Start with 3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, and add 1/2 tsp extra, as needed. (Note 5 on thickness)

Notes

Adapted from two beloved reader favourites – Lemon Yogurt Cake and Blueberry Lemon Loaf – but with better lemon flavour plus buttery flavour added (see in post for why!).

1. Self raising flour can be used instead of flour + baking powder but the cake won’t rise as well (self raising flour isn’t as good as combining flour + baking powder).

2. Room temp – It’s best to have fridge-cold ingredients de-chilled so they incorporate more easily into the batter and ensures you the melted butter doesn’t solidify into lumps. Eggs can be submerged in hot water for a few minutes, yogurt can be microwaved for 15 seconds then stirred.

3. Lemon extract (natural) – This really drives home the lemon flavour. You just can’t get the same amount of lemon flavour in this cake just using fresh lemons, sadly! If you go crazy with lemon juice, it just makes it sour. Zest is where the lemon flavour is, but there’s a limit to effectiveness. For best flavour, just a little natural lemon extract.

4. Pan & lining – I just line long side and base with a single sheet. The loaf doesn’t stick to the short ends. If your pan is larger, then your loaf will just not be as tall as pictured. Cook time will be around the same, but perhaps check 5 minutes earlier.

5. Glaze – You want it as thick as possible so it’s not a really thin glaze, but a consistency so it will drip slowly down the side of the loaf and not be see through. It will go from too thick to too thin with the tiniest bit of extra liquid so start with 3 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon extra lemon juice at a time until you achieve the right consistency (test down side of bowl).

Leftovers will keep for 5 days in an airtight container. I keep it in the fridge if it’s warm weather but always serve at room temperature for best flavour!

Nutrition per slice assuming 10 slices, including glaze.

Nutrition

Calories: 367cal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Dunno why I look so happy when Dozer looks so tortured, waiting to taste that bit of lemon cake!

The post Glazed lemon loaf appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

I’m not kidding! These chewy caramel-y chocolate nut bars are made without a single bowl. From scratch. They’ll save you all those times you promise to make something sweet but run out of time!

Meet my emergency quick sweet-treat!

I am one of those people who always overcommits. Especially when it comes to anything food related. Then 7 out of 10 times, I find myself in a flurry at the last minute because I promised to bring something sweet for lunch with friends, or to make something for my friends’ son’s school bake sale because she works full time and doesn’t have the time to bake something.

So it’s super handy to have a few really fast sweet recipes up your sleeve and this is one of mine. Just wait until you see how it’s made – it’s SO QUICK and you don’t need a SINGLE BOWL!

How to make these no-bowl chocolate nut bars

I know you’re probably wondering how on earth these bars are made without using a bowl at all so I’ll cut straight to the chase! Here’s how it’s done:

It’s made by creating a biscuit base using butter melted in the pan then sprinkling over crushed biscuits and desiccated coconut. Then it’s topped with nuts (your choice), chocolate chips, then finally topped with condensed milk which is what brings the whole bar together. Once baked, it holds together and becomes gloriously chewy, caramely bar!

1. Place butter straight into a lined pan and melt it in the oven while it is pre-heating.

2. Swirl to spread the melted butter across the base.

3. Sprinkle crushed biscuits across the base, then spread using a spoon/spatula/hands and lightly press down. I’m not meticulous here about even spreading, this is, after all, an emergency recipe!!

4. Sprinkle coconut across the base.

5. Top with about 2/3 of the nuts and choc chips

6. Pour over condensed milk.

7. Top with remaining nuts and choc chips.

8. Bake 30 minutes until light golden on the edges, then cool before cutting!

Ingredients in No-bowl chocolate nut bars

Ordinarily I put the ingredients before the recipe steps, but I feel like for this recipe it should be other way round! So, here’s what you need. It’s fabulously versatile – any plain biscuits, switch the peanuts and chocolate chips with other things like dried fruit and other nuts.

• Condensed milk – This sweetened milk is like a thick syrup and this is the key ingredient that holds the bar together. Standard cans here in Australia re 395g (14oz) and are sold in the long-life dairy section in grocery store aisles.

• Peanuts & chocolate chips – Feel free to substitute these with other add-ins of choice. Especially hand if you have a peanut or nut allergy in the family. Try pepitas and dried fruit!

• Coconut – Desiccated coconut blends into the crushed biscuits to create the base. If you don’t like or don’t have coconut, feel free to add extra biscuits instead, or leftover wheat germ / wheat bran (if you made last weeks’ Breakfast Muffins!).

• Butter – For buttery goodness and also to hold the base together.

• Plain biscuits/cookies – Anything that can be crushed will work fine here. I’ve used all sorts over the years – Marie, Arrowroot (featured in today’s recipe), Graham crackers, scotch fingers. I once even made this with chocolate Oreo cookies by scraping the filling off!! (It was an emergency and it was darn delicious!)

It’s not a hack

This is one of those recipes that is not a “hack”, but rather an incidental side benefit is that it can be made without dirtying a single bowl. I would make these even if I had to use a bowl to make them!

So keep this one tucked away for one of those days when you’re in a rush and you’ve promised to make a sweet treat for your family or friends!!  – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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No-bowl Chocolate Nut Bars

Recipe video above. Not a single bowl is required to make these bars! Everything is put together right in the cake pan. Hot contender for the world's best emergency baked goodie!

Tastes: caramel-y, chewy, chocolatey and peanuty. Like a caramel slice but with peanuts – and much faster to make!

Course Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword chocolate nut bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Cooling 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 294cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter , cut into a few chunks
• 1 cup (100g) plain biscuits, crushed (eg. Marie, Arrowroot, digestives, Graham crackers – Note 1)
• 1 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts , or other nuts of choice (Note 2)
• 1 cup dark choc chips (US: semi-sweet chips) (Note 2)
• 395g (14 oz) (1 can) sweetened condensed milk (Note 3)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160C fan-forced)
• Line pan – Lightly spray a 20cm/8" square pan with oil then press in a sheet of paper (no need to be meticulous here).
• Melt butter – Place the butter in the pan then melt in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Biscuit base – Swirl pan to spread butter then sprinkle over crushed biscuits. Spread then gently press down (again, I am not meticulous about evenness here).
• Layer – Scatter over the coconut, followed by about 2/3 of the peanuts and choc chips (reserve some for the top). Pour over condensed milk, spread for even coverage. Top with remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the edge of the surface is golden brown.
• Fully cool before cutting (3 hours on counter, or 1 hr counter + 1 hr fridge). Remove using paper overhang then cut and eat!

Notes

1. Biscuits/cookies – Use any plain normal biscuits but not biscuits like wafers or “cakey” soft biscuits. I have even scraped the filling out of Oreo biscuits!I crush in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin. Very therapeutic! You could also use a food processor or nutribullet.

1 cup of crushed biscuits =100g = around 11 Graham Crackers (US) or 11 Anne Marie Biscuits (Australia). 

2. Add-ins – Use what you want! Other nuts (roughly chop large ones), seeds, dried fruit, oats. YUM!

3. Condensed milk is a sweetened milk that’s thick like syrup, sold in the long-life milk section of grocery stores. Holds the whole thing together so do not recommend substituting.

4. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge (will last longer) for up to 5 days. Best eaten at room temp!

Recipe source – Pretty sure it’s originally from an old Women’s Weekly magazine! But the quantities have been tweaked over time to my own.

Nutrition per slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 64g | Calories: 294cal | Carbohydrates: 32.9g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 16.5g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 26.2g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Originally published way back in September 2015. Republished with a brand new video and photos by reader request!

Life of Dozer

New house. New shoot studio. Same scavenger.

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The post No-bowl Chocolate Nut Bars appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Healthy muffins that are actually delicious! A copy-cat of the raspberry bran muffins from Sydney’s beloved Bowan Island Bakery, these breakfast muffins are a nutritious, convenient breakfast option that’s far better for you than take-away on the way to school or work.

Up-and-go Breakfast Muffins

Being a savoury gal, I’ve always been partial to savoury muffins for breakfast (proof here, here and here). But a breakfast muffin with a sweet slant has been on my list for a while. I’m talking about the type that doesn’t make you feel like you’re eating cake for breakfast, a muffin that is just sweet enough but still good for you and good to eat.

So here it is!

Why these muffins are better for you

• Low fat – just 1 1/4 tsp coconut oil per muffin

• Refined-sugar free

• Lightly sweetened – Just 2 teaspoons honey per muffin

• Extra dietary fibre – keeps your insides….err….moving, shall we say ☺️ as well as keeping you full for longer and stabilising your blood sugars.

• Convenient – Grab and go! No need to reheat, eat on the move.

• Long shelf life – These last for 4 to 5 days, and are freezable.

• Easy to make – One-bowl batter mixed with just a wooden spoon

• Add-ins of choice – dried fruit and nuts, oats, fruit, choc chips!

Ingredients in breakfast muffins

Here’s what you need to make these breakfast muffins. Add-ins are flexible – see below for suggestions.

The key ingredient in this for goodness and flavour is wheat germ. Good-for-you extra fibre that gives these muffins a fabulous nutty flavour and lovely warm brown colour!

Dry ingredients

• Wheat germ (sub wheat bran) – The good-for-you extra fibre boost! Found in either the cereal aisle, health food section or flour aisle or grocery stores. While both wheat germ and wheat bran work, I think wheat germ is nicer. It has lovely nutty flavour because it’s the seed inside wheat kernels. Whereas wheat germ is the exterior of wheat kernels so it gives the muffins a slightly earthier flavour. Both have similar nutrition characteristics – high in dietary fibre as well as other nutrients. Better for you than plain flour!

• Wholewheat / wholemeal flour – In keeping with the better-for-you spirit of these muffins, I’ve opted for wholemeal rather than plain white flour. It has more nutrients because it’s less processed, plus it enhances the nutty flavour of these muffins.

• Baking powder AND baking soda (bi-carbonate) – These both make things rise but baking soda is 3x as strong and they each have different rising characteristics. For this recipe, using a combination of both delivers the muffin top shape and crumb texture I want.

  The baking soda can be substituted with more baking powder but the crumb is not quite as soft. See recipe card notes for quantity.

• Cinnamon – For flavour!

• Salt – Brings out the other flavours in the muffins, doesn’t make it salty!

Wet ingredients

• Honey or maple syrup – For sweetening! We only use 1/2 cup across 12 muffins which equates to 2 teaspoons per muffin. See commentary below on why honey is better for you than sugar.

• Coconut oil – This is the fat in the muffins. I like to use unrefined / virgin coconut oil which adds a lovely very subtle coconut flavour into the muffins. By no means would anyone call these “coconut muffins”! Use the type that is firm like butter and needs to be melted to mix into batters, rather than the pourable type.

  Note: There is also refined coconut oil which is stripped of all coconut oil and aroma. This and other oils will work in this recipe but will not add flavour. If you opt for another oil, I’d suggest doubling the vanilla and adding extra cinnamon.

• Yogurt and milk – This is the wet in the batter. Using yogurt serves two purposes. Firstly, it has acid in it which gives the baking soda a rising kick start. Sometimes I use a teaspoon of vinegar in recipes to serve the same purpose, like in my Magic Stay-Moist Apple Muffins.

  Secondly, yogurt is not as watery as milk. So it adds wetness to batters without making it as loose which means less flour needed = muffin more moist!

• Egg – Just one, to hold the muffins together. Using only 1 egg makes a massive difference to the moistness of the crumb of muffins as the more egg you use, the sturdier but drier the crumb gets.

• Vanilla – For flavour.

Why is honey better than sugar?

Because honey is:

• sweeter than sugar so you can use less in recipes;

• lower GI so your blood sugar levels won’t spike as quickly – which keeps you feeling full for longer; and

• more nutritious than sugar which is “empty calories”. That is, sugar literally just contains sugar and nothing else! Honey contains nutrients such as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Add-ins of choice!

I’ve used raspberries in these because they were on special. However, you really can add any add-ins you want. See suggestions below.

Add-in options:

• Raspberries or blueberries, other berries – 250g/8oz, 2 heaped cups

• Chopped fruit like apple, pears, cherries, grapes. (Not overly juicy fruit like oranges, peaches etc as they will leech too much liquid into the batter)

• Dried fruit – sultanas, apricots, cranberries, apple, mango – anything goes!

• Nuts and seeds

• Chocolate chips – I mean, the rest of the muffin is healthy. So this tips the scales back to neutral? 😈

How to make breakfast muffins

It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Mix wet ingredients

2. Mix in dry ingredients

3. Fill muffin holes and bake!

I like to reserve some raspberries to decorate the top, but this entirely optional – for visual purposes only. I know some people prefer more INSIDE the muffins!

1. Whisk wet – Melt the coconut oil in a microwavable bowl. Then whisk in all the wet ingredients: egg, yogurt, milk, honey and vanilla.

2. Mix in dry ingredients – Scatter across the surface (incorporates easier) then whisk in. Once you can no longer see flour, stop! Don’t get too enthusiastic with mixing as it will make the muffins tough.

3. Add-ins – Fold through the raspberries or whatever add-ins you’re using.

4. Divide between 12 holes. I used liners but it’s not essential, you could just spray with oil.

5. Top with reserved raspberries, if using.

6. Bake for 25 minutes at 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan) or until golden brown on the surface. Cool then devour!

Other matters of Up-and-Go Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast on the run – I’ve named these breakfast muffins as such because they are a great grab-and-go breakfast that doesn’t need heating and can be literally eaten on the run. More filling and less sweet than than muesli bars which I personally consider to be more suitable for a snack rather than breakfast.

Storage – These will keep for 4 to 5 days without going stale because they are more moist than typical muffins thanks to the coconut oil and yogurt. If it’s hot where you are, best to keep them in the fridge, otherwise just keep them in the pantry in an airtight container. They will also freeze for 3 months.

And with that, I think I’ve said all I need to on the matter of these breakfast muffins! Just to reiterate, these are less sweet than your usual muffins. To me, they are the perfect sweetness to have as breakfast without feeling like you’re being naughty and eating cake. And they are just sweet enough to have as a morning tea treat. In fact, people who often find Western cakes and cookies too sweet will probably find these the perfect level of sweetness.

Hope you give them a go! Love to know what add-ins you use if you do. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Up-and-go breakfast muffins!

Recipe video above. No more dry, bland healthy muffins. These are healthy – but delicious!! Just 1 1/4 tsp of oil and 2 tsp honey per muffin, lower fat than usual sweet-treat muffins, refined sugar free and contain extra dietary fibre.

Great for breakfast because it's not sweet like cake. But also morning tea – they are just sweet enough for me. Stays fresh for days.

Course Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine Baking

Keyword bran muffins, Breakfast Muffins, healthy muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling 15 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 217cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Wet:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil , virgin or unrefined (normal oil also works but not as tasty, Note 1)
• 1 large egg , at room temperature (~55g/2oz)
• 2/3 cup milk , at room temperature – full fat best (low fat and non-dairy ok too)
• 1/3 cup yogurt , plain/unsweetened
• 1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry:

• 1 1/4 cups wheat germ (best) OR 1 1/4 cups (80g) wheat bran (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour (sub ordinary flour – Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp baking powder (Note 4)
• 1 tsp baking soda , sifted if lumpy (or 3 tsp extra baking powder) – Note 4

Add ins – CHOOSE ONE:

• 250g / 8 oz raspberries , 18 set aside and cut in half to decorate top if desired
• 2 cups diced fresh fruit (not watery) – like apples, pears
• 1 1/4 cups dried fruit, nuts, choc chips etc

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Line a 12 hole standard muffin tin with muffin cases OR spray generously with oil.
• Whisk wet – Place coconut oil in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds on high or until melted. Add remaining Wet ingredients, whisk until smooth.
• Mix in Dry – Sprinkle the Dry ingredients across the surface in the order listed. Mix just until combined.
• Raspberries – Gently stir in the whole raspberries or other add-ins of choice.
• Fill muffin tin – Divide batter between the 12 holes using an ice cream scoop. Decorate top with halved raspberries.
• Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

1. Coconut oil – Better for you than butter and ordinary oil, with the added benefit of subtle tasty coconut flavour! Virgin & unrefined coconut oil has coconut flavour (because they are not processed, so better for you) and has a texture like firm butter so needs to be melted to mix in. Makes these muffins tastier!

Refined coconut oil does not have coconut flavour and is pourable like ordinary oil – can be used in this recipe too.

Ordinary oil can be substituted but will reduce flavour in the muffins. Butter can also be substituted and will give them lovely flavour but muffin will not be quite as moist inside.

2. Wheat germ is the seed inside wheat kernels and has a lovely nutty flavour. Find it in the cereal or health food aisle of grocery stores. Wheat bran can also be used but the flavour is a bit earthier and less nutty. I’d use something sweeter than raspberries to balance this out – like dried fruit. 

Both wheat germ and wheat bran have similar good-for-your dietary characteristics (see in post for more info!).

3. Wholemeal flour (aka wholewheat flour) makes the muffins softer and has more flavour than plain/all-purpose flour (but you can use plain flour, maybe double the vanilla and add extra cinnamon!)

4. Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carbonate) – These have different rising qualities and this combination gives these muffins the best shape, in my opinion. However, you can use just baking powder if you want – use 4 teaspoons in total.

Storage – 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. Fridge is best though pantry also fine if it’s not too warm where you are. Freezer 3 months.

Nutrition per muffin.

Nutrition

Calories: 217cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

While I’m in Melbourne for the Good Food & Wine Show, Dozer is with the golden retriever boarder and apparently not showing any signs of separation anxiety. Hmmph!

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Meet my favourite cookie in the whole world – Brown Butter Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies. Buttery. Nutty and caramel-y undertones. Melty pockets of chocolate, crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. Unbelievably quick and easy – no electric beater, no waiting around for butter to soften.

I know there are more “perfect” cookies out there in this world. But for effort vs results, these cookies leave them in the dust. It’s one of those rare gems where the end result is not compromised by speed and ease. In the world of baking, this is so rare, I am confident that you, like me, will try these once and know that it’s a Keeper!

They are everything you dream of a chocolate chip cookie to be. Chewy inside (thanks to the oats), crispy edges, very buttery flavour (from the browned butter!) and big melty pockets of chocolate from chunks of chocolates rather than using chocolate chips.

They are perfect. And they are fast and easy!

Ingredients in brown butter choc chip cookies

When I’m making to impress, I prefer to chop up good dark chocolate myself. Lindt is my choice – not cheap, so I stock up when discounted! For everyday purposes, I’ll just use good ole’ choc chips. Bakers’ choice!

• Chocolate or chocolate chips – See notes above photo.

• Unsalted butter – This recipe calls for the butter to be browned which intensifies the buttery flavour. It’s really easy – just melt the butter then simmer for a few minutes until it turns brown and smells beautifully nutty. That’s it!

• Oats – Just ordinary rolled oats. This is what gives these cookies a great chewiness! Recipe should work with quick oats, but not sure about steel cut oats.

• Sugar – Brown sugar for caramely flavour and to make the cookies a bit chewy rather than crisp.

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. Please don’t substitute with self raising flour as it doesn’t have enough rising agent in it.

• Baking soda (bi-carb) – This is the leavening agent used in these cookies (ie to make them rise a bit). It is stronger than baking powder and has slightly different leavening effect depending on what you are making. Baking powder makes these cookies dome slightly whereas baking soda makes them rise more evenly which is better.

• Vanilla – Just a bit, for flavour.

• Salt – It’s generally good practice to add a bit of salt into sweet baking recipes as it brings out the flavours in other ingredients. It doesn’t make these cookies salty. But there’s certainly the option to finish them with a sprinkle of salt flakes!

PRO TIP – Don’t use the chocolate “dust”. It melts and smears in the cookie dough and makes it look a bit messy. Save the dust for your cappuccino and just use the chunks for your cookies!

How to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Are you ready to see how shockingly and dangerously easy these are to make?

1. Brown the butter

Browning butter is as simple as melting butter then letting it simmer until it changes from yellow to golden brown which only takes a few minutes. This intensifies the buttery flavour and adds nuttiness. Both good things!

1. Melt butter in a silver or other non-black saucepan or small pan. Why does the colour of the cooking vessel matter? Because it’s impossible to see when the butter changes from yellow to golden in a black pan. You’ll need to rely on your smell or using a spoon to scoop the butter up to check the colour!

2. Brown butter! Simmer the melted butter on medium to medium high for 3 to 5 minutes or until you see little golden bits (which are the dairy bits that go toasty) and you can smell the nuttiness. The butter will also change from yellow to golden brown in colour.

   Remove from the stove immediately to prevent it from going too brown / burnt. Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl (including all the little brown bits – extra flavour!). Then let it cool for 5 minutes.

2. Cookie dough – just mix by hand

3. Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl – the flour, oatmeal, salt and baking soda.

4. Whisk wet – Add sugar into the still warm brown butter and whisk. It will look a bit split, that’s ok, it will come together when you add the egg. Add egg and vanilla then whisk.

5. Combine wet and dry – Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is mostly incorporated.

   Then add the chocolate chips and mix through until you can no longer see flour.

6. 5 minutes rest – Set the cookie dough aside for 5 minutes to let it firm up slightly so it’s scoop able into mounds.

3. Use a cookie scoop for speed!

7. Scoop mounds of cookie dough onto lined trays, 5 cm / 2″ apart. I use a size 40 cookie scoop which is 1 1/2 tablespoons (a heaped tablespoon measure). You should get 22 cookies.

   I use 3 trays – 8 cookies on 2 trays and 6 cookies on a 3rd tray.

8. Press the mounds down to 0.8 cm / 1/3″ thick rounds, reshaping as needed if they split or go wonky.

4. Bake 11 minutes

9. Bake – Bake 2 trays for 11 minutes, switching and rotating the trays at the the 7 minute mark until light golden. Remove, then bake the 3rd tray for 10 minutes, rotating at the 6 minute mark.
   

10. Cool cookies on the tray for 10 minutes – they will continue to cook and go a bit more golden. Then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. They will crisp up on the edges and base, but be chewy in the middle – best of both worlds! 🙌🏻

You know the hardest part about these cookies? Picking that point in the cooling time when the cookies have firmed up enough so they aren’t too soft, but the chocolate is still (very!) melty. The window of opportunity is actually wider than you think – around 25 minutes to 50 minutes after pulling them out of the oven.

But I always fret, not wanting to miss the chance – because once the chocolate has hardened, you cannot re-melt it without compromising the cookie itself – and I find myself hovering over the cookies, prodding them every 5 minutes or so wondering if I should go in for the kill.

The Kill being THIS moment:

Now you understand, right?

25 to 50 minutes out of the oven. Set your timer, my friends. Don’t miss it.

Or, if you do, just make them again. They’re so easy, why not! 😈 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Brown butter oatmeal choc chip cookies

Recipe video above. This is extremely fast and easy, and ridiculously good. No creaming butter, no chilling cookie dough. Don’t pause to wonder if it’s worth the extra 3 minutes to brown the butter. I’m telling you it is! It makes them extra-buttery with a nutty edge. Off the charts delish!

DESCRIPTION: Chewy in the middle (thanks to oats) with crispy edges. Extra buttery flavour! Use choc chips for convenience but if you're making to impress, chop your own. Makes 22 cookies 7cm/2.7" wide

Course Sweet Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword oatmeal choc chip cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Cooling 30 minutes

Servings 22 cookies

Calories 179cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 150g/10 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
• 1 cup flour , plain/all-purpose
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick or steel cut)
• 1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) , sifted if lumpy
• 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar (tightly packed)
• 1 large egg , at room temperature (~55g/2oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g/ 7 oz 70% dark chocolate block, I use Lindt (Note 1, sub 1 cup / 200g chips)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Lightly grease then line three baking trays with paper.
• Brown butter – Melt butter in a small silver pan or saucepan over medium heat (Note 2). Leave to simmer on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until (when you push foam aside) you see little golden-brown bits. Immediately pour into a bowl (including the golden bits) and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• Chop choc – Cut the chocolate into 1cm /1/4" pieces. Transfer the chunks into a bowl and leave the fine chocolate dust behind for another purpose (makes cookies speckled, Note 1).
• Mix dough – Whisk flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add sugar to the brown butter and whisk (it might not combine fully). Add egg and vanilla, whisk until smooth.
• Finish dough – Add dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is almost mixed in. Add chocolate, and stir until mixed through and you can no longer see flour. Set aside for 5 minutes to let the mixture firm up a bit.
• Cookies – Scoop a heaped tablespoon of dough onto the tray, 5 cm / 2 " apart. (I use a size 40 cookie scoop, makes 22 cookies) Flatten to 8 mm / 1/3" thick, reshaping sides if needed if they split/go wonky.
• Bake – Bake 2 trays for 11 minutes, switching shelves and rotating the tray at the 7 minute mark, or until the surface is light golden. For 1 tray, bake 10 minutes, rotating the tray at the 6 minute mark.
• Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack to fully cool. (A sprinkle of salt flakes wouldn't go astray!)

Notes

1. Choc dust – When you chop your own chocolate, you’ll end up with “dust”. I prefer not to use the chocolate dust as it leaves speckles on the cookie. It’s just a visual thing! I reserve for cappuccinos.

Lindt is my preferred, I stock up when it goes on sale! Else any dark eating chocolate is fine.

Substitute with 1 cup / 200g dark choc chips / semi sweet chips.

2. Browning butter – Easier to use silver or other light colour pan when browning butter so you can see the golden brown bits (can’t see against black base). Don’t forget to scrape in all the golden bits – it’s free flavour!

3. Baking – For 2 trays, bake 11 minutes, rotating the tray and switching shelves at the 7 minute mark. For 1 tray, bake 10 minutes, rotating at the 6 minute mark.

4. Keeps 5 days in an airtight container, they start softening on day 3+. Keep in fridge if it’s super hot where you are.

Nutrition per cookie, assuming 22 cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 179cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Dozer, no amount of hovering is going to get you any chocolate! It’s bad for you!

The post Brown Butter Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies (easy!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.