Oat, Bran, Date and Apple Breakfast Muffins

We sent Jill a box of Hamlyns products to Paris to try, and were absolutely delighted with this breakfast muffin recipe she developed, based on her granny’s bran muffin recipe, using our Scottish Oats & Bran. Here’s how to make them.

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan); Gas 6.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats with bran, baking powder and salt. Add the dates and apple (and apple spice if using) and coat in the flour mix.
3. In another smaller bowl, beat the egg with the milk, melted butter and sugar. Mix together then add to the dry flour ingredients, stirring well until the batter is smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into paper cases inserted in buttered muffin tins (or directly into silicone muffin moulds). Fill ¾ of the way up.
5. Sprinkle with a few porridge oats and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
6. Leave to cool completely for about 10 minutes before taking out of the tin.

Best served fresh on the day but for busy bakers, make the night before and store in an airtight container once cool.

Instead of 100g dates, you can mix 50/50 of dates and sultanas. Another variation is to replace the dates with soft dried apricots – particularly the organic dark ones.

Jill Colonna is from Edinburgh but for the past 25 years has been living the French-Scottish life in Paris with her Corsican husband and teenage girls.  Jill is author of two patisserie recipe books, ‘Mad About Macarons’ and ‘Teatime in Paris’ and writes at MadAboutMacarons.com