Blog baking: Doughnut muffins, Soda bread, Fig bars

I suffer from recipe overload. Newspaper cut-outs, magazines clippings, post-it noted cookbook recipes, and oh the starred ones in my reader.... the ctrl c, ctrl v-ones in Word and the scribblings on scraps?

I try. I really do but between cooking and caring for my family and all the other things that are going on I have to admit that I get stuck at looking at recipes and never get to making.

With Blogger back on track I decided to start fresh. So far I can tick off three on my list! First I made Anita Chu's fig bars. I found the recipe online but my copy of her book is on it's way! They were so good I don't have pics. The recipe makes a ton, first my family got their fair share and I decided to take the rest into the office.... set the box in the little kitchen, pondered if I should

 leave a note to explain ... (I've just started the job and was a bit insecure if this was "strange") but I needn't worry. At 11 I came across munching men all through the building, 5.30 I had to go looking for my tupperware. Found it, almost empty; 4 left! Great recipe! 

Note: I used our Dutch soft dark brown sugar and that made the surrounding dough soft and crumbly, next time I'll try a mix of sugars to achieve firmness.

Next on the list was the soda bread recipe I found at Sass & Veracity, I know why I picked this particular recipe, Kelly's remark about the bite of baking soda! You don't want that in your bread (not in my muffins either btw). I know the boys love soda bread so that's what they got. Soda bread and soup for dinner and it was a hit! Although this one had quite some whole wheat, it still was fluffy, great ovenspring and was a bit crumbly but very very good. Again, no pics.

(Oh and we had a fantastic dip/spread from my Babe sister Natashya to go with it, soon to be blogged about).

And finally: yesterday inbetween making a huge pot of chili, a levain bread, several pots of pineapple ginger jam, (I'm getting back on track, slowly!) there was some time left to make these doughnut muffins, a 4 o'clock treat for all of us with a cup of tea and a packed lunch addition for the boys today. They were indeed nice and fluffy, but I would have liked some more flavour in the muffin itself, the topping however made the muffin and I think that's what this is all about. (Although I should have used a finer sugar instead of the regular) Thanks Abby!