[schema type=”recipe” name=”Christmas Baking with Kids – PART ONE Gingerbread Muffins” author=”Rachel Howard” pubdate=”2013-12-15″ image=”http://www.sundaybaking.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Rory-Baking-1-700.jpg” description=”Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Muffins – A great festive treat to bake with Children!” yield=”6″ ]
It’s Christmas! I have so many Christmas Recipes I want to bake but I haven’t found time for any of them. So last weekend I booked a baking date with my nephew Rory. Baking with kids is a great way to get them involved in the kitchen and it was lovely to see how enthusiastic he was about it.
We don’t have and don’t want children of our own, (I don’t want to share my husband to be totally honest!) and I totally adore my nephew. He is at a really great age and his imagination is brilliant.
At first I didn’t think this post was going to happen – he was much more interested in playing Forza with Uncle Kieron than baking with Auntie Rachel! But after 10 minutes of racing I heard him say ‘I want to do some baking now!’ Woooo Hooo!!!
So we started by making some Gingerbread Muffins:
[callout title=Ingredients:]
- 170g dark brown sugar
- 370g plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large free range egg
- 125ml golden syrup
- 250ml buttermilk
- 113g butter
[/callout]
Method:
While Rory was racing around in a virtual sports car I measured everything up into bowls. This way it’s all ready for the fun bits of mixing!
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Butter a 12 cup large muffin tin, or line with paper liners. Set aside. (We used a Silicone Gingerbread Muffin tray like this)
- Place the butter and golden syrup into a small saucepan and heat over gentle heat until the butter has melted and the two are amalgamated. Set aside. (Rory watched me do this and then had great joy in licking the sweet spoon!)
- Sift the flour into a bowl
- Whisk in the sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom and salt.
- Whisk the buttermilk and egg into the golden syrup mixture.
- Add this all at once to the dry ingredients.
- Fold together to just moisten.
- Spoon into the prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let stand in the muffin cups for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
The English Kitchen (where I got the recipe) suggests serving them warm with butter or lemon curd for spreading. And I think I would agree. They had a lovely taste to them but were ever so slightly dry. But to be honest, this could have been down to the Chief Chef!!
We then decorated the Gingerbread Men Muffins –
We don’t have a photo of Rory’s finished one but there here is a glimpse of mine next to the Gingerbread House (See Christmas Baking with Kids PART TWO!)-
Overall this was a great experience and Rory loved taking them to Nana Jens for the Christmas Movie afternoon!
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