Blueberry Muffins with Fudge Crumble

For the Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure that the mixture is light and fluffy.

4. Beat in milk.

5. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, and add to wet mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

6. Fill regular-sized muffin cups almost to the top of each cup.

7. Bake for about 25 minutes – checking every ten minutes.

8. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

For the Fudge:

1. Place the condensed milk, castor sugar and butter in a large microwaveable bowl without stirring or mixing. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

2. Remove from microwave and stir all ingredients well using a wooden spoon.

3. Place back in the microwave on high and microwave for about 12 minutes, stopping every 2 minutes to stir. Be careful – the mixture becomes very hot during this process.

4. Remove the bowl from the microwave and place on a heat-resistant surface.

5. Pour in the vanilla essence and stir vigorously.

6. Pour the mixture into an oven tray that has been prepared with non-stick oven spray.

7. Allow to set until firm enough to cut into blocks.

8. Cut into blocks.

9. Leave to cool completely before removing the fudge blocks from the tray. Once blueberry muffins have cooled, crumble a block of fudge over each muffin and serve immediately.

Tip:

Instead of crumbled fudge, you can also make an orange or lemon glaze using icing sugar and drizzle it over the top of the muffins.

Benefits:

Blueberries contain a plant compound called anthocyanin, which gives blueberries their blue colour. One cup of blueberries provides 24% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. As a fruit, blueberries are low in calories but high in nutrients. They are also a rich source of antioxidants, which protect the body from the effects of free radicals found in air pollution, the environment and internal diseases. Blueberries are believed to help prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure and help fight urinary tract infections.

How To Store It:

Store blueberries in the fridge on the middle or bottom shelf, to avoid the extreme cold temperature at the top of the fridge from causing damage. Do not wash them until they are ready for use. Fresh blueberries can last for up to two weeks in the fridge. Frozen blueberries will keep for up to one year.