There is also a simple icing sugar glaze which gets spooned over top of the finished muffins.  This is the photograph from the book I got the recipe from.

I am still struggling to find good light for my food photography. In the UK I had a specific place that worked very well for this purpose. Here its a lot more difficult, as the windows in my sister’s house are not really facing in the right direction.

 

 

*Homemade Baking Mix*

Makes 24 servings

Printable Recipe

This is  mix which comes in really handy to have in the cupboard, ready to use for making muffins, pancakes and all sorts.

1260g of plain flour (9  cups)

245g milk powder (1 cup)

5 TBS baking powder

50g white sugar (1/4 cup)

1 TBS salt

220g white vegetable shortening (1 cup)

Whisk flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. 

 

To make biscuits/scones: Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Stir in 180ml buttermilk (3/4 cup) with a fork, Pat out, cut into circles and bake in a 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for about 10 minutes.  Makes six large biscuits (scones).

To make Pancakes:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl. Whisk in 3 TBS sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 TBS vegetable oil and 2 eggs.  Whisk together until smooth.  Cook as per regular pancakes on a greased griddle.  Drop 1/4 cupful at a time onto hot greased griddle.  Cook until the edges are dry, flip and cook until golden.  Makes about 14.

To make Waffles:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Beat together with 310ml milk (1 1/3 cups), 2 TBS vegetable oil and 1 egg.  Pour into centre of hot greased waffle maker.  Close lid.  Bake abour 5  minutes or until steaming stops.  Remove with a fork and keep warm.  Makes about 12.

 

They refer to these in the cookbook as being muffins.  I really think they are more like a cross between a muffin and a biscuit/scone type of pastry. 

I would think they are more like the biscuit than the muffin, but you can make your own mind up.

I love recipes with a history and containing a bit of nostalgia. In modern times we have a tendancy to look past these types of things and judge them as being archaic and old fashioned.

Young people today are keen to embrace the new, and I don't blame them. New is good.  But I think old is often better. (That is my age speaking I guess!)

 

 

 

 It was not always so.  I remember gorging myself on some from a neighbours raspberry canes when I was 10 years old. (Very naughty on my part.)

I got a tummy bug combined with being motion sick not too long after the binge. My father was hoovering the seeds from out of the carpeting in the car for years afterwards, and it was a very long time before I could face a raspberry again.

 

In any case I hope that you will be inspired to want to bake these lush muffins/pastries for your family.  I think they are something which everyone will enjoy.

If you are not fond of raspberries I am thinking you could use blackberries or even blueberries!  I think toasted flaked almonds would also be very nice baked on top! And if you used almond flavouring in the batter, they would be almost like a Bakewell type of bake! Yum!!

Raspberry Peek-A-Boos

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Yield: 12

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 15 Mincook time: 20 Mintotal time: 35 Min

A delicious cross between a muffin and a pastry. They are filled with fresh berries and topped with a vanilla glaze!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125g) fresh raspberries, washed and drained
• 4 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups (240g) original bisquick baking mx
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter softened
• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk

For the glaze

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 1 to 2 TBS milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 12-cup medium muffin cup really well, or line with paper liners.
2. Toss the berries together in a bowl with 2 TBS of the sugar, the lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Combine the bisquick and remaining sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips to combine.  Add the milk all at once, stirring it in just until moistened.
4. Spread 1 TBS of the dough into the bottom of each muffin cup. Top each with 1 TBS of the raspberry mixture.  Divide the remainder of the dough equally and drop it on top of the raspberry mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Whisk all of the ingredients for the glaze together, adding milk 1 TBS at a time until you have a mixture with a drizzle consistency.
7. Drizzle over muffins and allow to set before serving.

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I like to think that I can be pretty thrifty. I hate waste and I try to use up every scrap of what I produce or buy foodwise. Did you know that in a recent study it was found that half of the food produced worldwide is wasted???? 

 I know! Amazing to think of, in light of the fact that upwards of 30,000 people in the world die of starvation each day. It's mind boggling, and so very very sad.  

 I can remember as a child being forced to eat everything on my plate and told that there were children starving in Africa that would love to have what I had to eat. I often felt like telling my mother that if they wanted it, she was quite welcome to package whatever it was up and send it to them. 

In any case, I always ate it, whether I liked it or not. I'd still be sitting at my mother's dining table had I  not!

Food is wasted in incredible amounts each day, and whilst there is nothing we can do about a lot of it, we can control how much we waste ourselves in our own homes and families. I just love re-purposing food.

Things like creating tasty casseroles and dishes from leftover meats, cheeses, cakes, cookies, etc.! There is no end to what you can do with them if you just stretch beyond your comfort zone just a  teensie bit.

Delicious things like this fabulous breakfast casserole which I cooked today that used up the leftover Black Pepper Biscuits that we had yesterday. You needn't use black pepper biscuits though . . . or scones . . . you can use any you wish, plain, savoury or even sweet. 

 (Although in the sweeter ones I might leave out the mustard and add some chopped fruit and or nuts. In the case of apple or stone fruits, some cheeses actually go very well, especially cheddar.) 

It's also a good way of using up those dry ends of cheese in the fridge that would not get used  otherwise. Just sayin' is all.

Yes . . . that is Maple Syrup on mine. Don't judge me. A bit of bacon would have also gone down really well . . . floppy crispy please! (NO, that is not a contradiction in terms, it's how I like my bacon . . . floppy in some parts and crisp in others.

This is one of those delightful breakfast casseroles you put together the night before and bake in the morning.  It also works if you make it in the morning and bake it at night for supper.  Heck, I've even baked it right away and it's always delicious!  Makes great use of those leftover biscuit (scones) you want to get used up!

6 TBS unsalted butter, melted
300g of torn biscuit (scone) pieces (about 3 heaped cups)
9 large free range eggs, beaten
16 ounces grated cheese (strong cheddar, Emmenthal, Gruyere, Blue, or
whatever cheese or combination you like)
1 1/2 to 2 TBS Dijon mustard
(The milder in flavour the cheese you have used, the more mustard you will want)
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
750ml of milk (3 cups)
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the biscuit bits in a large bowl.  Pour the melted butter over and toss together.  Let sit for a few minutes, so that the biscuits absorb the butter.  Toss in the cheese.  Beat the eggs, milk, mustard and any seasoning you are using together in a large measure.  Pour this over top of the biscuit bits and cheese.  Give it a good stir and then cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight (all day or not as required)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer, until the eggs are set and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Serve warm.

Note:  you may scale this up or down.  For each additional biscuit, add another egg 2 tsp of butter, 1 ounce of cheese, 1/2 tsp of mustard and  approximately 80ml (1/3 cup) of milk.  You may also add some chopped fresh herbs, up to 2 TBS if you so desire.