I love baking for my Family, this is no secret, its my way of expressing my love for them and creating wonderful warm memories, no special occasion can go by without me baking them something yummy and delicious and one of our favourite family traditions are our wonderful breakfasts that we share when the Children are all on school holidays.

Over the years, pancakes have been a very firm favourite, with doughnut bread now coming in maybe as a first, especially with Rosie my daughter and her very sweet tooth, which I have to say she did inherit from her Mother !!

I am always on the look out for other recipes to make them for breakfast and over the holidays this Christmas I will be making them the waffles and epic hot chocolate which Jamie Oliver made on his Christmas show, ‘Jamie’s Christmas with Bells on’, I will blog the recipe if it tastes as good as it looks. I have already made the hot chocolate mixture, I have the biceps to prove it from finely grating a whole bar of chocolate the other morning!

But for now, here is my latest yummy recipe for a late breakfast or if we get some snow, these would be perfect served with hot chocolate, warm from the oven to toasty them back up after a snowball fight or a winter walk. I know my brood are nearly all grown up now, two of them have left home, and all but one of them are taller than me, but when they are all here, under one roof, I can’t help but spoil them, they will always be my babies.

Buon appetito

Makes 12

140g golden caster sugar, plus 200g extra for dusting
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100ml natural yoghurt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
12 teaspoons of seedless raspberry jam

Heat the oven to 190c/ 170c fan/ gas 5.

Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin, the recipe also suggests using a silicone one, but I hate them! Put 140g sugar, flour and the bicarb in a bowl and mix to combine. In a jug, whisk together the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla. Tip the contents and the melted butter into the dry ingredients and quickly fold with a metal spoon to combine.

Divide two-thirds of the mixture between the muffins holes. Carefully add 1 teaspoon of jam into the centre of each, then cover with the remaining mixture. Bake for 16 – 18 minutes until risen, golden and springy to touch.

Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before lifting them out of the tin, then roll them in the extra sugar.

You could use any jam you like, especially if you have some lovely homemade jam, I think I may try them with my homemade blackberry jam and add a little cinnamon to the sugar before dusting them, give them a warm seasonal feel & taste.