Sunday, August 28, 2011

Rum Raisin Muffins

Just when I thought muffin mania had climaxed last week with snickers filled muffins, An goes and finds one with raisins and rum!  I knew it was a hit with the other bakers when I began seeing comments on twitter asking who was excited about this weeks muffins!



After examining the recipe, I assumed it was not of 'American' derivation based on the metric temps and caster sugar in the ingredients. Also, the sugar seemed kind of sparse in relation to the flour, in keeping with the preference for less sweetness across the pond. Yes, you get some sugar contribution from the rum and raisins, but I still began thinking of ways to make it more sweet tooth friendly.



A little rum flavored glaze was an obvious and simple choice, but the rum also reminded me of a favorite Butter Nut Rum Pound Cake I used to make in my bakery. These cakes were poured with a butter rum syrup when they came out of the oven, so I figured why not try it with some muffins? It worked out nice, and added a depth of rum flavor and some moistness to the muffins. If you like a little 'crust' on your muffins, however, pouring them with butter rum syrup may not be the choice for you. But, if you're in it for the rum, it's definitely the bomb :)

As expected, the muffins as given were delicious, but not real sweet. Ideal for an 'afternoon tea', but we like it sweeter for breakfast :).  A little glaze made them suitable for a Southern sweet tooth, and pouring them with butter rum syrup gave them a great rum kick!  Enjoy.


L-R: Plain, Glazed, Rum Syrup Soaked



Be sure to check out Baker Street and see what variations the other bakers came up with!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups self rising flour
2 TBS caster sugar (extra fine granulated)
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown rum
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup of butter, melted

Instructions:
Add raisins to rum in a bowl and allow to soak several hours.
Preheat the oven to 390°F
Prepare 12 regular muffin tins by brushing the bases with oil.
Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Mix in the sugar, then make a well in the middle.
In another bowl mix the egg, milk, and butter. Stir in the raisins and rum that is left.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and fold lightly with a fork. Do not over mix.
Spoon into muffin tins, filling each one about two-thirds.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until just starting to brown  and a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
Place muffins on a wire rack to cool


Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

19 comments:

  1. Alan, these are wonderful! Maybe raisins in baked goods will grow on me ;-).

    I was surprised with the original 2 tablespoons sugar requirement, too, but did not adjust since I'm one of those who do not like sweets most days, LOL.

    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OOH. I love your variations! The way your glaze tumbled down over the top? That's a thing of beauty. Funny how we both keep trying to make our muffins sweeter and less healthy - ha! A great Muffin Monday for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really need to learn the art of glazing, that glazed one looks yum! I loved these and wonder if another muffin will ever top this week's excitement?!:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not a fan of rum but your butter rum syrup sounds amazing! I too wanted something more sweet so ended up making an eggnog cream cheese icing. Christmas came early :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey Alan! i thought so too that it was not as sweet as I expected it to be...great to know i'm not the only one LOL! I dusted some caster sugar to add some sweetness to my version! love the syrup. how did you do that? :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. So glad you enjoyed this week's muffins.


    And that Rum soaked syrup sounds so sinful.


    Cheers Alan,
    A

    ReplyDelete
  7. That first pic with the glaze is porntastic! :p I'm gonna have to start icing/glazing my muffins, they look so pretty :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. that butter nut rum poundcake you mentioned sounds incredible! love baking with booze!

    ReplyDelete
  9. hey Alan, heehee on my twitter RT. I should have ablanket comment to all my muffin crazed friends. My fingers are hurting lol lol Love these c what I told An, Annapet & Pandi.

    ReplyDelete
  10. LOL, your muffins are the bomb, Alan! Butter rum syrup sounds dangerous ;) Glad to make this week's baking, can't wait for more baking fun next week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had rum raisin gelato a few days ago for the first time, it was goooood! Now Im dying to try every rum raisin idea out there!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love both rum and raisin...and muffins, so this is pretty delicious in my book! The glaze? Dripping with satisfaction ;) Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your muffins look so good! The ones with butter rum syrup sound like they would be my favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bring on the sugar! Nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wish I stayed near the Muffin Monday group..yum :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. These look delicious! I've only ever had rum and raisins in ice cream. I need to widen my perspective. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yum! That glaze is making my mouth water, Alan!

    ReplyDelete
  19. ooooooh so sooo good! I wanna take a bite now!! :D

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting. I appreciate your comments and suggestions. :-)