Date And Brown Sugar Muffins -

Date And Brown Sugar Muffins

These tempting muffins are ideal served with afternoon tea, but are just as good for a sweet and fruity breakfast.

Ingredients

Makes 6 large (or 12 small) muffins

50 g butter (or margarine), plus extra for greasing
50 g soft dark brown sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 eggs, medium sized
200 ml buttermilk
100 g maize meal (or cornmeal)
100 g brown rice flour
1 rounded teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
50 g dates, stoned and chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Use a little butter to grease a 100ml 6-hole muffin tin. (If you prefer smaller muffins, use a 12-hole muffin tin instead.)

Using a wooden spoon, beat together the butter (or margarine) and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then, once they are thoroughly blended with the butter and sugar, stir in the buttermilk. (Ordinary milk, soured with a squeeze of lemon juice, may be used in place of the buttermilk.)

Mix the maize meal, rice flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, then gradually fold this into the butter, eggs and buttermilk mixture. Finally, add the chopped dates.

Divide the mixture into 6 (or 12) portions and spoon these evenly into the greased muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops of each portion with a little brown sugar.

Place the muffin tin on a baking tin and put in the top half of the preheated oven. Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes (or for 20 minutes if making smaller muffins). Test the muffins using the skewer test to determine whether or not they are cooked through. Remove them from the oven when thoroughly cooked and allow to cool in the tin. Turn out on to a wire rack and serve fresh, just cooled, cut in half and spread with butter.

Related food category:

• Cake and Bread