We made it! Week one of secondary school is in the bag and it all went well. Thank goodness! So to celebrate the end of a big week I've made these apple & blackberry muffins. I always bake something nice at the end of the first week back to school. I've been doing it since the first day of preschool so why break a good habit? If you've been around here for a while you'll know that I don't do an awful lot of baking so when I get it right I like to share it with you. Well, it's good to celebrate the wins right? And these my friends are a win! They went down incredibly well, even I was amazed at my success! So, if you never make anything else from this little blog of mine please promise me you'll make these! They are "the best muffins ever!!"
Blackberry season is in full swing here and they are my favourite of all the berries. There is nothing better than making something lovely with berries you have picked straight from the brambles. Isn't it amazing that Nature has a knack for bringing us such lovely things that go so well together? As if by magic apples are in season, the same time as blackberries and gosh do they go well together! I don't know about you but I think there is nothing more lovely than apple and blackberry baked together.
These apple and blackberry muffins are light and fluffy, with little juicy gems that burst inside in the middle and melt in your mouth. They have a hint of lemon and cinnamon with just a dash of vanilla. There's also a nice little crunch from the flaked almonds on top. So, I used Bramley apples for these as they are nice and tart and I grate them in rather than have big chunks of apple in the muffin. I also used fresh blackberries but if you can't get fresh ones then frozen will work too.
I have adapted this recipe from a lemon poppy seed muffin recipe from the book Leiths How to Cook. This is my go-to cookbook for baking, especially if I need a fail-safe recipe. And I highly recommend it if you are learning to cook. That's not an ad by the way!
Apple and Blackberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 120 g butter
- 250 g plain flour (all purpose)
- 2 level tsp baking powder
- ½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 level tsp cinnamon
- 2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 75 ml milk (full fat)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 g soft light muscovado sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 500 g bramley apples (225g when peeled and grated)
- 150 g blackberries
- 30 g flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 356 F, I use a fan assisted, electric oven, please adjust according to your own oven.Line a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cases.
- Melt the butter over a low heat, once melted set aside to cool.
- Sift all the dry ingredients, except the sugar, into a large bowl.
- Break the eggs into another bowl and beat. Add the cooled melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, lemon zest and sugar and beat again until the sugar is more or less dissolved.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Using a large metal spoon fold in the flour. Keep going until you have a wet, thick batter. Fold in the grated apple until it is fully incorporated into the batter. Then carefully mix in the blackberries.
- Spoon 2 heaped tablespoons of the batter into the muffin cases. Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. The muffins are done when you pierce them with a metal skewer and it comes out clean.Leave the muffins to cool for a few minutes in the tray then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.
Nutrition
Need more blackberry recipes? Check out this Apple & Blackberry Crumble
Anna R Wotherspoon
When do you add the butter
Michelle Alston
Hi Anna, add the cooled melted butter to the beaten eggs. I've updated the recipe card now! Thanks for bringing it to my attention Mx
Anthony Bloomfield
Great recipe and very easy, but I used 200g blackberries and preferred the result. The addition of the apple is inspired as it creates light yet moist muffins. I found an apple tree growing wild by the roadside which yielded lots of misshapen, but delicious apples, so I was very happy with my day's foraging!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Anthony, I'm so glad you like the recipe 🙂
Rebecca Goodman
They look wonderful. Your right things that are in season together are always matches made in heaven. x
Michelle Alston
Thanks Rebecca x
Megan Davis
Looked super easy and turned out so good on my first try. I want it to be perfect. I think I'm gonna try this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.