Blueberry & Apple Chia Muffins

It's always nice to add a little extra from the garden - in this case, from our apple trees - to a baked treat!

Ingredients - (makes approx. 12 muffins)

1 cup fresh Blueberries
1 Apple - peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Chia seeds - ground
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup plain flour
60g butter
3 tbsp honey
2 large eggs - beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)


Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Rinse the blueberries and leave on a paper napkin to dry.  Peel and roughly chop the apple and set aside.

Melt the butter with honey.

Sift the ground chia seeds with the flours and baking powder into a large bowl.  Stir the chopped apple into the flour.

In a small bowl, roughly beat the eggs with the vanilla, the pour in the butter mixture and the creme fraiche.  Stir until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and apple mixture.  Mix lightly with a fork, until just combined.  Carefully fold in the blueberries, without crushing.

Put spoonfuls of the mixture into well-greased muffin pans - approx. 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes, or until well risen and golden.  Transfer to a wire rack.

Enjoy warm, or cold!

I usually try to double the recipe so there are some muffins left to freeze for another time.  They make a healthy and delicious snack!

Caryl ♥

Apple & Blueberry Crumble

Having harvested the last of our apples from the apple trees in our garden, I decided to combine them with the fresh blueberries I bought the same morning.  This makes a lovely dessert.

Ingredients

6 Apples - peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup Blueberries - washed
Brown sugar
Cinnamon

Crumble Ingredients

2 tsps Chia Gel
1/2 cup Plain flour
1/2 cup Oats
2 tbsp Hemp seeds
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
Butter


(First, for the Chia Gel, see Caryl's Cooking Creations: How to make a Chia Gel)

Place the chopped apples and blueberries into a deep oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Mix well, but carefully.

In a small bowl, mix the chia gel with the flour, until it resembles bread crumbs.  Stir in the oats, hemp seeds, sugar and cinnamon until well combined.

Sprinkle crumble over apples and blueberries.  Dot with a very little butter.  Cook in moderate oven for approx. 20-30 minutes, until top is slightly browned.

Please note:  Apart from the chia gel, I am only guessing at the measurements for the other crumble ingredients, as I can't remember. (I will try to remember to measure next time I make a crumble).  Generally, I just shake in what looks and feels right at the time!

Enjoy, with custard or ice-cream, or both! ;)

Caryl ♥