Spiced carrot & sultana muffins

Using carrots from Anika & Jon's vegetable patch! Extra yummy :)

Verdict: so good! The actual recipe was for a carrot cake, but it worked as muffins really well!

Ingredients:

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower oil

3 large eggs , lightly beaten

140g grated carrots (about 3 medium)

100g raisins

grated zest of 1 large orange

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment, or put muffin cases in a muffin tray.

2) Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon.

3) Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

4) Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.

5) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Or, if you're making muffins, bake for 25 minutes (ish).

6) If making a cake, cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. If making muffins, leave for a few minutes and then cool on a wire rack.

Zucchini Brownies!

Hello readers,

This is something I have wanted to make for a long while now, strange as it may seem - chocolate brownies with zucchini (courgette to us British folk)! I'd seen such good reviews of various zucchini brownies, muffins and cakes that I just had to try them for myself!

... Made using a courgette from Anika and Jon's garden! :)

Verdict: you'd definitely have a hard time guessing the special ingredient. They do taste different from usual brownies (more squidgy and moist, but not in an eggy uncooked way, as there aren't any eggs in this recipe!)

Try it!

This recipe is from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

For the brownies

120 ml vegetable oil

300 g white sugar

10 ml vanilla extract

250 g plain flour

45 g unsweetened cocoa powder

7 g bicarbonate of soda

6 g salt

250 g shredded courgette

60 g chopped pecans

For the glaze

30 g unsweetened cocoa powder

55 g margarine

240 g icing sugar

60 ml milk

3 ml vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2) In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended.

3) Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.

4) Fold in the courgette and pecans. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

5) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

6) To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool.

7) In a medium bowl, blend together the icing sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.