Here I am with a last minute idea for a muffin you could make for Christmas morning or even on Boxing Day, using up some of the oodles of mincemeat you no doubt got in for the holidays!
These are quick to make, and really nicely flavoured. You could mix all of the dry ingredients the night before, and then just throw together the wet in the morning and then stir them together and bake.
These are lightly flavoured with oranges, lemons, nutmeg and ginger . . . and the piece de resistance, Grand Marnier . . . and stogged full of mincemeat, well . . . okay, there is a teaspoon in the centre, which is just enough. With some brandy sauce, they could even double as a delicious dessert. Happy Christmas!
*Mince Pie Muffins*
Makes 12
Break
open some Holiday spirit with these lightly spiced muffins flavoured
with the tang of Grand Marnier and filled with lashings of moreish
mincemeat!
300g plain flour (2 cups)
1 TBS baking powder
115g caster sugar (1/2 cup fine white sugar)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
175ml of milk (3/4 cup)
2 TBS Grand Marnier
1 large free range egg, beaten
115g butter, melted (1/2 cup)
the finely grated zest of one lemon and 1/2 orange
about 6 TBS of good quality mincemeat
Icing sugar and edible glitter to dust
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Sift
together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and ginger. Rub together
the sugar and fruit zests. Stir this into the flour mixture. Beat
together the egg, milk, Grand Marnier and butter. Add all at once to
the dry ingredients and stir together just to combine. Half fill each
muffin cup with the batter. Top each with a heaped teaspoon of
mincemeat. Top with another dollop of muffin batter to cover.
Bake
for about 20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Leave to
cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool
to room temperature. (Reminder that mincemeat will be very hot) Dust
with icing sugar and a bit of edible glitter to serve.
Note - You could serve these as a dessert, just earm with a brandy sauce poured over top.
They must be good!
ReplyDeleteWonderful new twist to using mincemeat. Well done.
ReplyDeleteToday i learned about "mincemeat" existence. Fruits, spices and beef: sounds pretty unusual but tempting. Mrs Marie, did you ever cook that thing from scratch? Will you post a recipe maybe?
ReplyDeleteI do make it from scratch and here is the recipe:
Delete*Homemade Mincemeat*
Makes approximately 1 pound
(enough for approximately 3 dozen mince pies)
A delicious blend of dried fruit, nuts, spices, brown sugar and brandy. (I use apple juice)
150g of currants(1 cup)
125g of raisins (3/4 cup packed)
25g of blanched almonds, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 knob of preserved stem ginger, finely chopped
1 eating apple, peeled and grated
50g of shredded beef or vegetable suet (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
the finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 TBs brandy
1 TBS dark muscovado sugar
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 12 hours to macerate.
How delightful, Marie, but rather complicated. Your recipe is very similar to my Epiphany Pudding I made up decades ago, but using bread cubes instead of a cake mix. The recipe, both yours and mine, make up a decadent dessert to end the Christmas season on Twelfth Night.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what you mean by complicated Jo? xo
Delete