Date and Apple Muffins

I did it. I moved to the countryside. I am in complete no-mans-land. Alone. Without my man or my cat. But with a mill to look after, loads of cows and loads of new townspeople to meet. What a step. There are moments I wonder, if I’ve been foolish to come here. There are moments I wonder, why I haven’t come here sooner. And there are moments where I just have to get inside the kitchen and bake myself some decent muffins so I don’t go crazy. So, if in doubt, go get some baking done. It helps. 

Ingredients
100g date, diced
1 apple (ca. 150 g), diced
pinch vanilla
100g butter
75g light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1 organic lemon, zest
pinch of salt
2 tsp. baking powder
250g all-purpose flour
150ml buttermilk

You know how this thing works. Rub lemon zest into your sugar. Cream butter and sugar, vanilla and salt together and add the eggs one by one. Mix the baking powder with the flour and then add the flour and buttermilk to the egg-mixture in turns. Stir until everything is incorporated, pale and creamy beautiful. Fold in your diced apple and dates. If you’re feeling autumnal add a pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon or even a splash of bourbon. With your ice cream scoop fill your muffin baking tray. Bake ca. 30 minutes at a 175°C oven. Sit down and take it all in, this life that you chose to live in. Doesn’t look so bad, right?