Blueberry Peach Muffins

This is the best muffin recipe I have tried. The sponge is very light and fluffy with mouthwatering pieces of blueberries and fresh peaches.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cup white sugar
1.5 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup blueberries
1 cup peeled and diced fresh peaches

(For Glazed topping)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200c. Grease muffin tins, or line with paper muffin liners.

Peel and dice peaches and wash blueberries. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup melted butter and vanilla extract until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just blended.

Fold in the blueberries and peaches. Fill muffin cases with batter (fill to the top of the case for large deli-style muffins).

Bake for 18-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

(For Glazed Topping)

In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush muffins with this mixture. Cool muffins over a wire rack.
Best served warm with a little jam or honey and a nice cup of tea!

Perfect Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups buttermilk (available in Tesco, near to the fresh cream)
• 1.5 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures seperate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.

Pour the wet mixture intro the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until just blended together. Do not over- stir! (there should still be a few small lumps in the mixture) Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximate 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Best served with a little melted butter and warm maple syrup!



Dolly Parton's Peanut Butter Cookies!

Another remnant of our American hol is Dolly Parton's personal collection of family recipes that I purchased in Dollywood, Tennessee. More Dolly recipes to follow! I've used a few recipe books in the past and sometimes the final products are not as good as I expected. Everything from this book has so far been very yummy. My favourite is her Peanut Butter Cookies. These are simple to make and turn our perfectly; soft, chewy and delicious!

Recipe extract from Dolly Parton's "Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking"

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening (TREX or other solid white vegetable fat)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Cream shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars gradually. Add beaten egg. Add sifted dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 180c for 15 to 20 minutes or until grolden brown. Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Store in an air tight container. Keeps fresh for up to 1 week. Perfect for a work coffee break!

Fluffy American Country Biscuits

My boyfriend (Rob) and I recently returned from a US east coast road trip. We drove from New York, Washington, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. Obviously, indulging in a lot of tasty treats along the way! My most memorable foodie moments were at breakfast, when we savoured the old southern tradition of a breakfast featuring biscuits and cornbread! Ever since returning to the UK, I have been experimenting to recreate the unforgettable, melt-in-the-mouth biscuits we enjoyed in Cracker Barrel restaurants across the South.
There are lots of different recipes out there, and I have tried many!
Finally, after a few disappointments resembling rock cakes, I discovered a recipe that produces the fluffiest, melt-in-your mouth biscuits, exactly like those served in the Cracker Barrel!

Recipe courtesy of http://www.grouprecipes.com/56581/fluffy-biscuits-like-kfcs.html (with a few adjustments)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cups Stork margarine or TREX
• 1- 3/4 cups plain flour
• 2- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 180 c

In mixing bowl, cut in Stork, flour, salt, baking powder with pastry blender or electric mixer till it resembles fine crumbs.

Pour milk into the mix, stirring gently with a spoon till the dough is gooey.

With a soft rubber spatula, gently scrape the sides of the bowl, dipping the spatula into flour to keep it from sticking.

When you have the sides cleaned of dough, pat flour on the top of the dough ball. (This is a gooey dough, which is why they're so soft and moist!)

Turn the dough ball out on a floured surface so it doesn't stick easily

Gently press the dough to about a 2" thickness with your floured hands.

Cut into squares or use a round biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter each time into flour.

Place pieces about 1" apart onto a lightly greased baking sheet

Bake about 30 minutes, till they are lightly browned on top. They will be very moist on the inside, and very thick.

Serve with butter and jam and honey. Creates the perfect accompaniment to a full cooked breakfast!