Apple Compote Muffins and I'm Away For Holiday

Yes, yes, yes, (I am excited) I'm going home! Yay! Nothing is better than getting together with your loved ones, true?

I had my last exam for this semester just tonight.. Well, it was not really bad. I am a bit confident that I can pass this one - ugh, I hope this is not an overconfidence..

Actually a few days ago I made a promise to myself: okay, I'll use up all ingredients by Sunday, then I won't cook until I fly to Indonesia as to keep the kitchen clean. But I seem to always have reasons and excuses to cook (especially bake). Two obvious things to clean up from my fridge is apples and lemons. I always stock them up because I have a habit of eating at least one apple a day and drink hot lemon juice with water every morning after I wake up.

And as I swam this morning, I tried to generate a recipe in my head.. Lemon juice with apples? Nah, too sour. Lemon zest? That sounds better. Um, apples go well with spices. Hang on. I'll just cook another batch of that apple compote and arrange the slices on top of... muffins maybe? That'll be quick and great for my breakfast tomorrow before heading to the airport (although I ended up giving them all to B. Please pray that he won't get killed by all this sugar!)

Apple Compote Muffins
makes 6
Muffin batter:
80 gr self-raising flour
30 gr plain flour
10 gr brown sugar
30 gr caster sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lemon, zest of
1 egg
30 ml vegetable oil
60 ml milk
apple compote slices from 1 apple (divide the original recipe by 5, but do not throw away the simmering liquid when you drain the apple slices. Reduce them until thick and syrupy and use as glaze.)

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 6-hole muffin pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in another bowl.
3. Make a hole in the middle of dry ingredients mixture and pour the wet ingredients.
4. Stir until just moistened. Spoon batter on prepared muffin pan.
5. Working quickly, arrange apple slices decoratively on top of each muffin. Bake for 25 minutes.
6. Let cool on a wire rack before glazing.

Note: if you don't glaze them, you might want to increase the brown sugar/caster sugar amount a bit.

Okay, I need to sleep now. I'll be away for the next two weeks or so, but I might just cook at home and post something or perhaps even post my mom's cookings.. Oh well. I need to stop rambling here or you all might fall asleep before I do :-) Goodbye, guys, see you soon!