Prune and Walnut Muffins

Blogsphere is full of posts about smoothies at the moment, I have also recently starting having a smoothie most mornings for my breakfast which I am really enjoying. My favourite smoothies currently all have prunes in them, which thicken, and add flavour as well as colour.

I have wanted to make a prune breakfast muffin for sometime; and last night had the idea of blitzing the prunes into the wet ingredients in the style of a smoothie, rather than just having pieces of prune within the muffin. It worked a treat – the muffins were moist and a glorious chestnut colour and packed with flavour – I added more chopped prunes and some crushed walnuts for extra flavour and texture. I think that as the muffins are so moist the recipe would easily take a spoonful or two of bran and the fat content could be reduced (I used 25% less than I normally would for a muffin). Like many of my muffins these are diary and egg free.

Prune and Walnut Muffins (makes 6 medium muffins)

Wet Ingredients

4 ½oz milk – I used rice milk – soy or diary would both work well

1 ½oz sunflower or rape oil

6 prunes (stoneless) – I use the semi dried ones that are lovely and fat and juicy*

Dry Ingredients

5oz Plain flour

1oz sugar (I used Light brown soft sugar – but any would work)

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

4 prunes – chopped – I fine it easier to use scissors and to cut them up

6 walnut halves – chopped – again I used scissors

½oz rolled oats

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well, blitz the wet ingredients with a stick blender in a separate jug (They will be quite thick) . Fold wet ingredients into the dry (no more than 15 folds) to make a batter (some lumps are fine).

Pour into muffin cases or a silicone mould. Sprinkle some rolled oats and lightly press into batter. Bake for 20 to 25 mins GM4/180C/350F until risen and brown.

*If using dried prunes cover with boiling water and leave for 5 mins to rehydrate slightly before draining and then adding the prunes to the wet ingredients