白蘭地焦糖煮青蘋果葡萄乾馬芬 Brandy Caramel Green Apple & Raisin Muffins

Brandy Caramel Green Apple & Raisin Muffins

Completely in the mood of avoiding writing...

Brisbane is getting into summer. Now it gets so hot in the morning that just makes it impossible to sleep in. Since it is a day to stay at home and doing house work, baking muffins for breakfast sounds like a nice idea. I've always liked muffin recipes since they normally are relatively lose in measurements, if there is a bit too much or too less of something, it is not going to be the end of the world.

Today's variation is a more exquisite version comparing with the blueberry one I normally make. Muffin mix is the basic one, here I adopted the one from Taste on-line.

Brandy caramel Green Apple & Raisin Muffins (serves 15)

Ingredients for basic muffin mix:

• 3 cups self-raising flour (could be just a bit more 1/4 cup?)
  
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 110g butter, melted
• Ground Cinnamon 
  

Apple & Raisin filling:

• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 
  
• 5 green apples
• 1 cup of raisin
• 1 tea spoon of sea salt
  
• 1 lemon (use the juice only)
• 1 table spoon of Brandy
  

Method for the Apple & Raisin (this needs to be made first, takes time to cook, cool and for the raisins to absorb the sauce).

1. heat up brown sugar to caramelise, bring up the temperature gradually if not familiar with this step, take time, do it slow.  Probably best to use flat fry pan.
2. slice & cut apple into dices, pour into the caramel, simmer till the apple juice came out, 1/4 into the apple dice turn into brown.
   
3. pour into the raisin, add lemon juice, salt, simmer till the juice almost all been absorbed, add Brandy.  Flambe Brandy and simmer till the juice almost dry out.  Let it cool down (even just this sauce to pour on top of ice cream will be a great dessert by itself).
   

Method for the Muffins mix:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease muffin pan (for the normal fist size this mix can make 15).
2. Sift flour, add caster sugar and stir to combine. 
3. Make a hole in the centre. Combine milk, egg, butter, pour mixture into the flour. Using a large spoon, stir a few time to mix the flour, add in the apple & Raisin mix, stir a few more times.  As long as there is not dry flour lumps is fine, do not over-mix it.
4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the centre is cooked.
5. Turn out onto a tea towel, dust the cinnamon on the muffins, allow it to cool.

心得:
白蘭地一燒, 我們室友就醒了, 下來問要吃什麼, 怎麼這麼香. 那個水果醬真是香甜美味. 肉桂跟紅茶很搭. 早茶這麼吃, 感覺有點太奢靡了...