I am NOT ready for Christmas.
It’s December 2nd and Christmas feels like it should still be months away.
Shopping centres have been playing Christmas carols since September. The supermarkets have stocked candy canes since October. David Jones put their creepy puppet displays up in November.
That still doesn’t make me feel like it should be Christmas time again.
Didn’t we just have the big festive season a few months ago?
Already I am being wished a ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’…. It’s only just December! People, Calm down and step away from the Eggnog!
This is probably a sure sign I’m getting older.
Mr Sticky is worried that he hasn’t felt Christmas-y yet and is doing everything he can to get in the spirit before it’s too late.
First step in Operation: Make it feel like Christmas was for my 30-something man to buy himself a chocolate Freddo Advent Calendar. I am being careful not to tease him too much otherwise I’ll miss out on sharing the strawberry Freddos.
I’m definitely not ready to make Gingerbread Houses, Mince Pies or any kind of pudding… yet.
Give me time.
For now, I’m ever so slowly sinking myself into the festive season with Christmas-y spices and berries to make Mixed Berry Spiced Muffins.
It’s kind of like getting into the pool – you’re either a ‘diveboming at the deep-end’ or ‘one toe at a time’ kind of girl.
I love the smell of cinnamon and mixed spice. For the Americans – mixed spice is used in baking kind of like your pumpkin pie spice but it’s made of cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg. The aroma of these spices wafting through the house is an instant Christmas kick.
I think the combination of spices with berries is a classic nod to Christmas. In Australia, berries are in season for December, but I find they can get expensive. I like to keep a box of frozen berries on hand, like Creative Gourmet’s mixed berries. It’s a delicious mix of raspberries, blackberries, wild blueberries, red currants and black currants.
While making the Mixed Berry Spiced Muffins I did my best to hum Christmas Carols and think about (eventually) starting my Christmas present shopping and decorating the apartment.
For now, the Mixed Berry Spiced Muffins will just have to do their very best to get me in the mood. Maybe eating another one will help?
- 375g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 165g brown sugar
- 125g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 200g mixed berries, frozen or fresh
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced. Line a muffin tin with paper cases, or grease.
- Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add cinnamon sugar and mixed spice and stir to evenly distribute.
- Stir in sugar and make a well in centre of bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine milk, butter, eggs and stir to combine. Add to dry ingredients and slowly fold to combine.
- Fold in mixed berries.
- Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, evenly distribute batter between prepared tray.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, and cool on a wire rack.
