Lunch Box Ideas: Custard, Apple & Oat Muffins

With some apples that really needed to be used up we all decided it was time for a break from the yummy Anzac Slice that I have been baking for lunch boxes and after school snacks (it is a big hit with all the family!). An order was put in for apple muffins. Now, I couldn’t go past adding some rolled oats for some extra nutritional goodness, so the brief transformed somewhat into one for apple and oat muffins. THEN Dad 101 threw a spanner in the works, requesting custard and apple muffins! Needless to say it was time to concoct a recipe all of my own – for Custard, Apple & Oat Muffins. And if you don’t fancy the custard, these are also good as plain Apple & Oat Muffins – perfect as lunch box treats (or after school snacks) either way!

Custard, Apple & Oat Muffins Recipe

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour
• 3/4 cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Pureed Apples* or Applesauce

Custard Filling:

• I used store bought Custard Powder and prepared one serving (500ml) according to the package instructions. You could use pre-prepared custard or make your own.

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a 12 serve, large muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients and combine.

3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and add wet ingredients (excluding custard). Combine.

4. Add wet ingredients (excluding custard) to dry ingredients. Combine but don’t over mix.

5. Spoon a little muffin mixture into each cupcake liner – until it is a quarter full.

6. Add a teaspoon of the prepared custard filling to each cupcake liner.

7. Cover the custard with more of the muffin mixture but don’t fill the cupcake liners right to the top as the mixture will rise when baking. Fill each liner until the mixture is about 1/2cm from the top.

8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tray.

Variations

• For plain Apple and Oat Muffins, simply spoon the muffin mixture into the cupcake liners and bake, removing the custard filling step.
• For Apple, Sultana and Oat Muffins, add 1/2 cup sultanas or raisins to the dry ingredients in step 2. Bake without the custard filling.
• *To prepare my apple puree I peeled and sliced my apples, added a little water and a sprinkle of brown sugar and simmered them over a low heat for 15 minutes. I then used a hand blender to puree.

What is your family’s favourite muffin flavour?

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