Meera Sodha’s recipe for rollercoaster apple muffins | Vegetables

My children are mostly vegetarian, which means that at home I’m always searching for what we call “rollercoaster foods” due to their obsession with being allowed on Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington World of Adventures. In other words, food that will help both of them reach the next level on the rollercoaster height chart – that is, food packed full of the good stuff (protein, wholegrains, healthy fats and nutrients). This muffin was created with that in mind: tasty (crucially) without tasting worthy, high in protein (9g per muffin), and mindful of sugar. It’s a mix-in-a-bowl job or, you could say, child’s play.

Rollercoaster apple muffins

You’ll be able to see the curds of the cottage cheese in the finished muffins, which doesn’t bother me, but, if you prefer, mash the cheese before adding it to the muffin mix. Wholemeal self-raising flour should be available in your local big supermarket. Muffin liners are a bit taller than cupcake liners, but if you can’t find them, just use cupcake liners and run a knife around the cooled muffins to remove them from the tin.

Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Makes 12

200g wholemeal self-raising flour
100g mixed seeds
65g rolled oats
50g raisins
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs
150g full-fat cottage cheese
125g demerara sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp extra
200g skin-on grated apple – ie, from about 2 large braeburns

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin liners and heat the oven to 195C (175C fan)/385F/gas 5½. Put the flour, 80g of the seeds, 50g of the oats, and all the raisins, bicarb, mixed spice and salt in a large bowl and mix well.

In a large jug, whisk the eggs, cottage cheese, sugar and 100ml of the oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour bowl, add the grated apple and mix to combine.

Next, make the topping. Put the remaining 15g oats, the extra tablespoon each of oil and demerara sugar, and remaining 20g of the mixed seeds in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Distribute the batter between the 12 cases, then sprinkle a teaspoon of the topping over each one. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove and leave to cool in the tin before eating. The muffins will keep well in a cake tin for a couple of days, or freeze them and eke them out over the summer holidays.