Fruity, chocolatey and gluten-free muffins: RECIPE

I’ve been making a lot of the blackberry and apple compote from last week’s recipe filling up the storage cupboards with jars of the stuff ready for the coming months.

Meanwhile, my wife Julia has been out picking the beautiful little berries as fast as I’ve been filling jars. The garden gloves have turned purple after her mighty efforts.

With so many blackberries, and my turn to bake a Friday treat for the staff, I used those lovely foraged berries in this muffin recipe.

It is gluten and diary-free, using olive oil for the fat and self-raising gluten-free flour which you can change to normal flour if you desire. There’s naughtiness too. I added white chocolate buttons which go so well with the blackberries.

Ingredients – makes eight

125ml olive oil

110g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

140g self-raising gluten-free flour

80g blackberries

50g white chocolate buttons

Method

1. Whisk the sugar and oil together as hard as you can.

2. Add the eggs and whisk again.

3. Stir in the flour to form a stiff batter.

4. Gently fold in the blackberries and white chocolate.

5. Divide the mixture into 8 cupcake cases and cook in a pre-heated oven 160C gas 4 for 30 to 35 mins. The muffins take a little bit longer to cook than normal muffins. Test they are done by inserting a skewer which should come out clean. Carry on cooking if the middles are a little bit wet.

6. Cool slightly and eat warm.