The Hour

Everyone knows that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, but we can get stuck in a rut eating the same thing over and over again.

Scottish chef Jacqueline O’Donnell likes to shake things up a bit, and today she shares her recipe for tasty breakfast muffins that are a bit different and are sure to go down a treat with the whole family.

Made with wholewheat flour, these muffins release energy slowly which helps to keep you fuller for longer. If you don’t want to eat them for breakfast they’re ideal for snacks in the kids’ lunchboxes too.

If you fancy trying out Jacqueline’s muffins, which contain cheese, bacon and red pepper, you can find the recipe below:

Ingredients:
• 240g wholewheat flour
• 125g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 300ml buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
• 100g streaky bacon, sliced
• 60g grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 red pepper, finely diced

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Coat 12 paper muffin cases with low fat cooking spray
2. Combine the wholewheat flour, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground pepper and salt in a large bowl
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in spring onions, bacon, cheese and red pepper. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just moistened. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cases will be very full)
4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.