Getting outside the comfort zone

The main reason behind starting my blog was to get outside of my comfort zone when making things.  This was especially true for baking, as I do like my old faithfuls (courgette cake and chocolate muffins to name a couple).  Whilst being glued to the Great British Bake-Off and enjoying all the triumphs and disasters, it reminded me that I hadn't actually cooked anything from the copy of the book I was given last year.  So by starting the blog I have challenged myself to try new recipes and expand my baking repertoire!  Thankfully for my waistline, I have a few willing testers who I can offload the produce on, including OH's work colleagues and some of my clients. 

Today I had a go at muffins.  Now, you say, muffins you have tried before!  But these are Sour cream, pecan and apple crumble muffins no less.  From Roast Figs, Sugar Snow a lovely book my Mum bought me a couple of years ago, its full of winter warming recipes.

I enjoyed making them, but they definitely need working on.  The recipe said to put them in a greased muffin tin, but being lazy I used muffin cases in the tin.  Today I learnt that this slows up the cooking time (the mixture is not directly touching the nice hot tin).  Plus the mixture seemed so thick I was uncertain it would ever rise and sat on the floor in front of the oven staring and willing them to rise.  The smell in the kitchen (it has cinnamon in it!) was divine and the end product certainly edible, if in need of some improvement. 

Spurred on by the lovely Malinky on Ravelry I am also going to be trying some gluten-free baking in the near future and thus a good excuse for new ingredient shopping, so watch this space.......