Christmas Day Muffins

Tomorrow is Christmas and I am sure you have every meal planned out to the "T."  However these Christmas day muffins might just be perfect in case you have some space at your breakfast table and are looking for some inspiration. I shared them at Jerri's space Simply Sweet Home a few weeks back and thought I'll share them here today...

These eggless Christmas day muffins are inspired by Mrs Byatt's Christmas Day Muffins. They taste lovely with all the cranberry, hazelnut and orange marmalade glaze. Though healthier, they are a little dense when baked with whole wheat flour. So if you are in a mood to indulge just substitute the whole wheat flour with an equal measure of all-purpose flour and swing into the holiday mood...

Maple Glazed Pear Jam Doughnut Muffins # Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge

Its time for another round of Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge. This month Sheryl challenged us to prepare a dessert with pear and maple. With my spiced pear jam in hand I knew exactly what I wanted to prepare...Maple Glazed Doughnut Muffins with Pear Jam filling...

I had booked this recipe by Nigella a while ago. The muffins looked cute and attractive and I was certain that my son and husband would like it ... Well. I was partially right about that. Husband loved it. So did I. But our son refused to taste... which meant more fluffy yummy muffins for us :D...  We enjoyed them with our evening tea, then at midnight with some hot milk and again for breakfast the following day. Thankfully I had made a small batch or else we would still be feasting on them and then felt guilty about eating so many muffins at a go.....

Jam Swirled Eggless Muffins # June Challenge for Baking Eggless

This month Priya from Priya's Versatile Recipes challenged the members of Gayathri's Eggless Baking Group to bake these fantastic Eggless Jam Swirl Muffins.

The original recipe, the one with eggs, was by Patricia of Technicolor Kitchen . She had created these amazing muffins  by swirling some blackberry lemon jam into Dorie's lemon poppy seed muffins... and we followed suit.

since the only jams i had in the kitchen were the orange marmalade and some apricot jam, I baked my first trial batch with applesauce as the egg substitute and raspberry coulis (for the color) and some apricot jam. Think the coulis made the batter a bit more soggy than desired and i ended up baking the muffins for 30 minutes. They looked and tasted fine but were a little dense. i was not completely satisfied and decided to make another batch. this time i used sweetened condensed milk as a substitute for eggs and the did not try too hard to make the swirl. mostly because i used orange marmalade and that wouldn't really show up. the result was e-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t. The muffins were super soft and delicious. and the whole batch vanished faster than i would have liked. I had halved the recipe and had made 9 muffins and Mr MN and I finished it all within a day. we simply kept feeling hungry-for-the-muffins... 

now the recipe...

Eggless Jam Swirl Muffins (makes 9) Adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

ingredients 3 tbsp ground sugar (i ground it in the coffee machine)  the dry ingredients to be sifted together 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt the wet ingredients 90 ml sour cream or yogurt (i used sc) 3 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1/3 cup jam -   what i did i preheated the oven to 400 degrees F ; buttered a standard muffin-cupcake pan ; sifted the dry ingredients together and kept them aside and whisked the wet ingredients together until they were well blended. i then added the ground sugar to the sifted flour mixture and mixed them, then  poured the wet ingredients into flour-sugar mixture and using a fork, lightly whisked the mixture. * next i added the jam to the mixture, whisked it lightly and pouring the batter into the prepared pan, transferred it to preheated oven and baked for 20 minutes, that is until the surface turned golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin came out clean.* then removing the baking pan from the oven, i left it to cool down completely before taking out the muffins and relishing them. * see my notes

Notes 

•  It is really important to whisk the mixture lightly otherwise the muffins get tough.
•  Though these are called Jam Swirl Muffins, its best not to try to hard to create the swirl. it   does not  show up like a marble cake swirl even if you try very hard. trying too hard only makes the muffins tougher...  

 I tried both the "don'ts" the first time and ended baking this set and regretting.

So much for today. Hope you had a relaxed weekend. we spent a regular Sunday shopping, cleaning and planning for the 4th of July weekend. 

Sharing these muffins with  
Monday : Made with love Mondays, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Meatless Monday @Veggie Mama's,  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory, Just Another Meatless Monday @ Hey What's for Dinner Mom, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Mop It Up Monday, Mealtime Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party
 Tuesday Food:  Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with Grace, Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings 
Wednesday Food : Wow Me Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked Mom, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain ,  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2, Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network
Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes,  Weekend Kitchen Link Party