Biscoff Swirl Muffins with Biscoff Crumble #MuffinMonday

Never mind plain toast spread with Biscoff cookie butter. Take breakfast or break time to another delicious level with these Biscoff swirl muffins with Biscoff crumble.

I have no idea who first thought of taking the spicy Dutch speculoos cookies and turning them into a spread, but I applaud them. I wouldn’t actually put it on a piece of toast, although I understand many people do, but Biscoff is a great addition to (or topping for) muffins, cakes and cookies. Or fill some sweet dough cinnamon roll style and bake. There are so many uses.

I highly suggest you start with these muffins. Like all muffins made in the traditional muffin manner, they are super easy and they’ll disappear in no time.

This would probably be a good time to say that I am not being paid by the Lotus folks who make Biscoff spread and cookies. I even bought both products myself. Because I like them. I have added Amazon links in the ingredients list, in case you can't find them where you live.

Biscoff Swirl Muffins with Biscoff Crumble

The extra chopped cookies for topping are optional but we loved the crunch. You could also add some nuts or a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

Ingredients
For the muffin batter:
1 3/4 cups or 218g all purpose flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
2 teaspoons baking power
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/3 cup or 70ml vegetable oil
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 145g biscoff spread

For the (optional) crumble topping:
6 biscoff cookies

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers.

Roughly chop the six cookies and set them aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until completely combined.

Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredient bowl and fold until just combined.

Give the Biscoff spread a good stir to loosen it up. If you’ve been keeping in the refrigerator, you can give it a quick zap of 15-20 seconds in a microwave to warm it slightly.

Use a tablespoon to drop dollops of the spread on your batter.

Cut through it all lightly with a knife to swirl the Biscoff spread through the batter. Do not over mix.

Use a spoon or cookie scoop to divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups then top each with the chopped Biscoff cookies and their crumbs.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the muffin pan, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool further.

Enjoy!

Check out the other lovely muffins my Muffin Monday bakers have for you today!

• Biscoff Swirl Muffins with Biscoff Crumble from Food Lust People Love
• Jam-Filled Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Olive and Bergamot Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Wild Violet Muffins with Wild Violet Sugar from Farm Fresh Feasts

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Lazy Homemade Shortbread

Buttery and sweet, with just the right amount of resistance before it crumbles in your mouth, this lazy shortbread shaves minutes off the more traditional method. If the word lazy offends you, just call it easy.

We make most traditional shortbread recipes by cutting cold butter into the flour creating a sort of rough and sandy crumble. But years ago, I needed a quick recipe to make big pans of shortbread for a school function and I came across this one using melted butter instead. I have since made homemade shortbread the more traditional way but I must confess that when I’m in a hurry, I go back to this lazy shortbread time and time again.

Shortbread packages up nicely and would make a special gift for Mother's Day, don't you think?

Lazy Shortbread

If you want to change it up a bit, add some orange or lemon zest to the dough and sprinkle the top with orange or lemon sugar or a little more zest.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1 cup or 130g cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Slightly rounded ½ cup or 125g caster or fine grain sugar
1⅛ cup or 250g unsalted butter

To decorate the shortbread:
1 egg white, whisked with a teaspoon of water
2-3 tablespoons coarse grain sugar (I love using my lavender sugar here.)
Optional: edible glitter

Method
Line the bottom of a small 8x8in or 20x20cm pan with baking parchment and preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in to a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar and stir to mix.

Gently melt the butter in a small pot over a low heat then pour it into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until it is well combined and you have a soft, buttery dough.

Tip the dough into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Use a knife to score the top into 18 equal pieces. Use a fork or a skewer to poke decorative holes in each piece.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the shortbread is begins to brown slightly.
Remove from the oven and brush lightly with the beaten egg white.
Sprinkle the top generously with coarse sugar.

Bake for five more minutes.

Remove from the oven and lightly sprinkle with edible glitter, if using. This is purely for show but I love how it brings out the natural purple in the lavender sugar. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

Use a sharp knife to cut the shortbread into pieces where you scored. Leave to cool completely before removing from the pan.

Store in an airtight container once completely cooled. Or wrap some up and give it away!

Enjoy!

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Bolinhos de Bacalhau or Deep-fried Cod Fritters #FishFridayFoodies

These tasty little morsels are called bolinhos de bacalhau in Brazil, where they are a traditional dish and a favorite party food. In English, a literal translation is little cod balls, but deep-fried cod fritters gets the idea across much better.

My first memory of salt cod, that is, cod that has been liberally salted then dried to preserve it, was on a holiday in Portugal. The grocery stores had stacks of salt cod, in bins like we might find a pile of lemons or a display of corn on the cob. I had no idea what to do with such a salty dry ingredient.

It took moving to Brazil to learn several recipes. Since it doesn’t need refrigeration and maintains its nutrients and flavor for several years, salt cod is a staple in many countries. In Brazil, it is often rehydrated and cooked in rich stews or pan-fried with potatoes and served with hard-boiled eggs and olives.

But my favorite recipe is definitely bolinhos de bacalhau, crispy cod fritters made with mashed potato that are deep-fried till crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Bolinhos de Bacalhau or Deep-fried Cod Fritters

Start the preparations for this recipe at least one day before you want to fry your fritters. The salt cod needs to be soaked for a minimum of 24 hours to get rid of the salt and rehydrate the fish.

Ingredients - makes 2 dozen
8 oz or 225g salt cod
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Small bunch parsley, thick stalks discarded, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
(1-2 tablespoons flour)

Canola or other light oil for deep-frying

Method
Put the salt cod in a bowl and cover with fresh cool water. If you live in a warm climate, you can put this bowl in the refrigerator. Very important: Change the water at least four times in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate them until the cod is ready or start the cooking process when the 24 hours is up.

Peel and quarter the potatoes.

Boil in unsalted water until just tender, then mash them with a potato masher or a fork, until there are no lumps. Set aside to cool.

Cut the bones and skin off of the cod and discard. Use the tines of a fork to shred the cod, making sure that you pick out any bones you missed the first time. Use a sharp knife to chop the shredded cod finely.

Sauté the minced onion and garlic until they have softened, in the olive oil over a medium fire. Remove the pan from the stove and mix in the chopped parsley.

Mix the mashed potato and shredded cod with the sautéed onion mixture, the ground peppers and the eggs.

This should be fairly stiff. If need be, add some flour to help it bind. I don’t usually need to add any, but many of the Brazilian recipes suggest that flour may be necessary.

Lay paper towels on top of a wire rack, nearby the stove.

Heat enough oil to cover a 2-tablespoon ball of the mixture (about 2 1/2 in or 6.3cm deep should do it) in a deep fryer or a deep pot on the stove, to about 375°F or 190°C.

Use a tablespoon or a cookie scoop to make small balls and drop them carefully into the hot oil, just a few at a time. Do not crowd the pot.  Traditionally, these should be oval or American-football shaped, but I have a cookie scoop and it’s so much easier!

Fry the bolinhos for several minutes or until they are a lovely golden brown and crunchy on the outside. Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove them from the hot oil and put them on the paper towels to drain. Continue until all of the fritters are cooked.

Serve hot and fresh with some spicy hot sauce or your favorite tartar sauce, if desired.

Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodies are sharing Latin American seafood dishes so make sure you check out the list below. Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories.

An InLinkz Link-up

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