Mega Muffin Monday!

Ok, so I didn't exactly bake these today (otherwise I would have been up since the crack of dawn!) I actually baked them last Thursday...but had I posted about it then...well 'Muffin Thursday' doesn't ring quite as nice as my now traditional Monday title!

My OH's workplace are moving premises this month and their official 'leaving' party was last Friday so I was asked to provide some muffins, plus a little celebration cake (actually, they just asked for a rich fruit cake but I couldn't resist adding a bit of icing decoration to it)....so last Thursday was a Mega Muffin day!

Among the flavours I created some Lemon Drizzle Muffins and after mentioning it to a few Facebook friends, I was asked to hand over the recipe...so here it is.

Muffin Monday - Lemon Drizzle

I kid you not, these are tooth achingly sweet and tangy...not a chunk of chocolate in sight but still calorific with a double whammy of sugar...but heck, we all need a sugar hit treat now and again!

(makes 9-11 standard sized muffins)
9oz plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz caster sugar
1 egg
9floz milk
3floz vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
2 teaspoons fine grated lemon rind

Drizzle topping:
4oz caster sugar
juice of 1 large lemon
zested lemon peel
granulated sugar to sprinkle (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 190-200oC (375-400oF)
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. In another bowl combine together the egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract and lemon rind.
4. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the dry mix and stir until just combined. The batter will look lumpy but no dry flour should be visible.
5. Spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake 20-25mins until lightly browned.
6. Once baked and removed from the oven, gently slash the tops of the muffins with a knife (or spear with a skewer) and prepare the drizzle topping -
7. Place the sugar and lemon juice into a pan and heat very gently until the sugar has dissolved. Spoon half of the mixture over the muffins, making sure the liquid soaks into the slashes you've made.
8. Allow the remaining drizzle mix to thicken slightly and then spread this over the  muffin tops - the sugar will have begun to crystallise and set so it forms a nice crusty layer.
9. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and extra granulated sugar (if required).
10. EAT!

Enjoy!

Oh...and here's the little celebration cake I made for the party - couldn't resist adding a little 'safety hard hat' to the top!

HSE - 'Leaving Hagley Road (2002-2012) Party' celebration cake