Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

I have been using this recipe on and off for the past few years. I love the soft fluffiness of the cupcake with the crunch of the chopped nuts. Enjoy for a bit of crunch on your chocolate cupcakes. This is also lovely to have with coffee after a LONG work day. 

Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

Ingredients

150g lightly salted butter

150g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 eggs

3 tbs baking cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence

Spare chopped walnuts (to top cupcakes)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180⁰ prepare cupcake tray.

2. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa and vanilla essence in a bowl. Mix with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Gently fold through walnuts. Spoon into cupcake tray. Sprinkle with spare chopped walnuts.

4. Cook for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack. 

Breakfast Muffins

I made these a few weeks ago and have been playing with the recipe to make it work for me. I originally had mushrooms but took them out, however I have not given up on the idea. Patience, patience, patience Mushrooms will appear in one kind of breakfast muffin I make. This one is my left over veggies and bacon muffin, it was a random find. Have a go and let me know how it went.

Bacon, Carrot and Zucchini Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

3 rashes of bacon small dice
1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
1 sml carrot grated
1/2 sml zucchini grated
1/4 cup shallots
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 tsps baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese (I use tasty)
80g butter melted
2 eggs lightly beaten
2/3 cup of milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200⁰C and prepare muffin tray. Fry bacon until crispy and put to one side.
2. Place flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cheese into a bowl, mix.
3. Whisk butter, eggs and milk in a mixing bowl.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine. Stir through carrot, shallots, zucchini and bacon.
7. Spoon into muffin trays and cook for 20mins.
8. Serve warm or cool for lunches or afternoon tea.