Bursting Berry Muffins with Lemon Drizzle

It was a grey, cold and rainy day during the Christmas holiday and I was feeling a little gloomy and not to mention slightly bored, so to pick up my spirits and kick start some self motivation, I decided that some baking would be a cure for my lassitude.

Thinking ahead to tomorrow's breakfast options, I decided that some fruity muffins would be a tasty idea. I used some frozen forest fruits which can often be found in bags in the supermarket freezer section. In this particular one were redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries – delicious and healthy. There's no need to defrost them before adding to the muffin mixture – being icy solid prevents them from breaking up when stirring. As the muffins bake, the berries burst, releasing their juices making the muffins moist and beautifully stained with red and purple as they bleed into the batter.
The drizzle topping adds a little extra sweetness and tanginess that perfectly complements the fruit.

Makes 10 large muffins

Ingredients
For the muffins
1 medium sized egg
5 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
half cup melted butter
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups mixed frozen berries

For the lemon drizzle topping and decoration
half cup icing sugar
juice of 1 lemon, warmed
zest of 2 lemons

Method
Preheat the oven to Gas 5, 190C and then line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
Put the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder and stir to mix together.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and whisk in the milk and melted butter.
Tip this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly until combined.
Stir through the berries so that they are evenly distributed and then spoon equally between the 10 muffin cases.
Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes until they are well risen and golden.

Meanwhile, make the drizzle topping. Place the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
A good way to warm the lemon is to microwave it on high power for about 20 seconds. Just put the whole lemon into the microwave and when you cut it in half for squeezing you'll find it to be exceptionally juicy and warm.

When the muffins are cooked, remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
Using a spoon, drizzle liberally with the icing and finish with a sprinkle of lemon zest.