Kid's Recipes
Dairy free, low fat, Cranberry Pecan & Maple Muffins
| 2 | apples peeled and finely chopped |
| 2 | ripe bananas |
| 100g | dried or frozen cranberries |
| 50g | pitted dates, chopped |
| 125ml | maple syrup |
| 3 tablespoons | pecan nuts, finely chopped |
| 310g | wholemeal spelt flour |
| 1 teaspoon | bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) |
| 1 teaspoon | ground cinnamon |
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350oF/ Gas 4).
- Mix together all the ingredients by hand until well combined.
- Add 375ml of water and fold together.
- The mixture should not be too wet; if it is, add a little more flour.
- Lightly spray a 12 holes muffin tin with oil and spoon the mixture into the tin.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
Cooking with Cranberries - preparation tips
Always remember to:
- Cook frozen cranberries just until they pop. Longer cooking brings out their bitterness and makes them mushy.
- Do not use aluminium cookware when cooking cranberries as the berries' acid reacts with aluminium and causes it to discolour. Use stainless steel, glass or porcelain.
- Eliminate foaming and over boiling when cooking frozen cranberries by adding one teaspoon of butter.
Preparing cranberries:
- Chop cranberries in a food processor, using quick on/off pulses, to save time.
- When cooking, add a little salt or ¼ teaspoon baking soda or baking powder to cranberry sauce to reduce the amount of sugar needed and bring out the cranberry flavour.
- Soak dried cranberries in warm water, orange juice or a liqueur for 20 to 30 minutes to get plumper berries which can be used as a substitute for frozen or fresh cranberries in many recipes.
- For baked goods (i.e. muffins, cakes or slices), chop frozen cranberries and toss them with sugar before stirring into the batter to improve sweetening.
