I make these muffins around Easter time every year. I just love hot cross buns but I find these muffins so easy to prepare and so tasty, I almost don't miss the real thing!! Didn't have any apricots, so used dried cranberries - very tasty!
Easter Hot Cross Muffins
adapted from Chatelaine magazine
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon
allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon clove (optional)
1/2 cup
candied peel
1/2 cup
chopped dried apricot (used dried cranberries this time)
1 egg
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup
Canola oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze
1 1/4 cups sifted icing sugar4 teaspoons orange juice (used lemon juice this time)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F Place raisins in a small bowl. Pour juice
overtop. Microwave, covered, until hot, 1 minute Set aside. Lightly coat or
spray a 12-cup muffin tin or 9x5 inch loaf pan with oil. In a large bowl, using
a fork, stir flour with sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt and
cloves. Stir in raisin mixture, candied peel and apricots.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk egg. Whisk in milk, oil, butter and
vanilla. Pour over flour mixture. Stir just until mixed. Batter will be lumpy.
Divide between muffin cups or scrape into loaf pan and smooth top.
Bake in centre of preheated oven until a cake tester inserted
into centre of muffins or loaf comes out clean, 20 to 25 minute for muffins, 1
hour for loaf. Remove pan to a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, remove from pan
and cool completely on rack. Store muffins or loaf in an airtight container and
store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Glaze:
Stir sifted icing sugar with orange juice until smooth. Drizzle
over cooled muffins in a criss-cross pattern to mimic hot cross buns or spoon
over loaf, if you wish.
4 comments:
how horrible am I that I've never made hot cross buns (or muffins for that matter)? lots of cinnamon rolls - close, right!?
Ummm I might have to give those a try. Thanks
Ooo, Celine! I, for one, love your muffin posts! These look absolutely scrumptious! Happy Easter!
Never apologize for your yummy food posts :) I am still in love with your polka dot cake stand, too!
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