The Advantages of Homemade Muffins

If there is one dish that I would recommend as the easiest, quickest and yet delicious and healthy meal, then this would have to be the muffins. Muffins are extremely versatile as they can be prepared with all sorts of ingredients; they can be prepared either as savory or as sweet and they can be eaten either for breakfast, or for lunch, or as a snack. Here are a few of the advantages of homemade muffins that should persuade you to start making them at home:

1. They are extremely easy to make, so even if this is your first time in the kitchen and even if you are not good at cooking, there is nothing that can go wrong when it comes to making muffins;
2. They are cooked very fast because it usually takes about 30-45 minutes to make them from scratch, which is why muffins are ideal for unexpected guests or when you want to make something delicious for your family and friends that does not require much energy and time;
3. The sweet muffins are a healthier and lower-calorie version of classical desserts, such as cupcakes, creamy cakes and other pastries, which is why they will not affect your waistline. Plus they come in small sizes, so you will not be tempted to slice a huge piece and devour it.
4. Last, but not least, they are ideal for disguising fruits and vegetables that your children do not want to eat as their delicious taste will conceal all traces of healthy ingredients. You will thus make sure your children eat enough fruits and vegetables by making them yummy healthy muffins.

So, take out your aprons and muffin pans and let us embark on a journey to the delightful world of delicious homemade muffins!

Eggs and Bacon Muffin

  Ingredients (makes 4 large muffins): 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 tablespoon baking soda 0.5 cup milk 0.5 teaspoon white vinegar 0.5 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 egg 5 teaspoons sour cream   For filling: 4 eggs 4 ounces of chopped fried bacon 0.5 cup chopped shallots 1 cup grated Cheddar Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and prepare the muffin pan.
2. Mix the first three dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. Mix the next six wet ingredients in another large bowl.
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir lightly.
5. Add the bacon, the shallots and the Cheddar.
6. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the batter into 4 muffin cups. Slightly bang the muffin pan to even out the batter.
7. Make a hole in the batter of all the four muffins and crack an egg into each. Spoon the remaining batter on top to cover the eggs.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.

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Nutella and Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients: 1.5 cups plain flour 0.5 cup sugar 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 tsps baking powder a pinch of salt 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup sunflower oil 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 8 tsps Nutella For the topping: 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsps cinnamon 3 tbsp melted butter Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare tour muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, the sugar, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the baking powder and the salt.
3. In another bowl, combine the milk, the oil, the egg and the vanilla extract.
4. Mix the wet mixture and the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Scoop half of the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Then put a teaspoon of Nutella into the center of each cup and top with the remaining batter.
6. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, combine the cinnamon and the sugar to make the topping