SPICED FRUIT AND NUT MUFFINS

SPICED FRUIT AND NUT MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

·         1 1/2CUPS                           flour

·         1/4tsp                                   cinnamon powder

·         1/4tsp                                   nutmeg

·         1/4tsp                                   ginger powder

·         3/4cup                                  powdered sugar

·         1/2cup or 100gms                yellow butter

·         1/2cup                                  milk

·         1 ½ tbsp                               vinegar

·         1/2tsp                                   baking powder

·         1/2tsp                                   soda-by-carb

·         1tsp                                       vanilla essence

·         1/2cup                                  kaju,badam,mixed cherries,walnut(rolled in 1tbsp maida)

·         1/2 tsp                                  yellow food colouring

METHOD

1.       Preheat oven at 180C.

2.       Grease muffin moulds with some butter or oil.

3.       Sift flour, mixed spice, baking powder three times.

4.       Cream butter and suger until sugar dissolve and becomes fluffy.  Butter and sugar mixture turn white in color or in pale yellow.

5.       Rub flour mix with creamed butter. Its look in crumbly texture.

6.       Mix vanilla essence and yellow color in crumble mix.

7.       Divide milk into two parts. To one part which is at room temperature, add vinegar.

8.       Warm the other part of milk slightly and add soda-bi-carb. Now mix both the milks together.

9.       The milk will start foaming (bubbles appear). Mix quickly in cake mix very weel.

10.   Add chopped dryfrits nad cherries on cake batter.

11.   Fill all muffin moulds with cake batter. Sprinkle some more dry fruits on every muffins.

12.   Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20 min, then lower the temperature to 150C for another 20 min.

13.   When the muffins are done, let it cool for 10 min before removing from the moulds.

14.   Around 12 muffins are prepared from this receipe.

Tarts shells

Tarts

Hi friends,

Today I am sharing receipe of tarts shell. You can use them with any filling sweet or spicy.Cute and small, thick and crusty, tarts form a great base for desserts. They are usually made of flour, salt and butter, but ingredients like almonds might be added for a special touch. Rubbing the butter lightly with your fingertips while making tarts is an art that you can perfect with practice. Only ice-cold water should be added during preparation, else the butter will melt making it sticky. Tarts taste great by themselves, but they are also used in delicious recipes like strawberry tarts, fruity chocolate tarts and many more.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups plain flour or maida
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter (at room temperature)

Method

1.       Sieve the flour and salt together on a plate.

2.       Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips and mix well.

3.       Gradually add ice-cold water (approx. 3 tbsp) and knead well to make a stiff dough and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

4.       Lightly flour the rolling pin and pastry board and keep aside.

5.       Knead the dough again, divide it into 10 equal portions.

6.       Roll out a portion of the dough into a 100 mm. (4”) diameter circle. Place the circle into a 75 mm. (3”) diameter tart case and press the circle gently around the sides of the tart case.

7.       Repeat step 6 to make 9 more tarts.

8.       Prick all over the tarts with the help of a fork.

9.       Arrange the tarts on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºc (400ºf) for approx. 10 to 15 minutes.

10.   Cool the tart cases and use as required.

Handy tip:

1.       Greasing of tart moulds is not necessary, unless the moulds are new.