Femi’s Sweet Treatz Creations’ chocolate chip muffins - Making life sweeter, one treat at a time

BAVINA SOOKDEO

Abaomi Mc Leod pours her heart and soul into her beloved online business, Femi’s Sweet Treatz Creations.

Mc Leod said, “I have been baking for as long as I can remember with an easy-bake oven being one of my favourite ‘toys’ as a child.”

Later, at Johnson & Wales University, she pursued a degree in baking and pastry arts. Professionally, Mc Leod has been baking since 2017.

“My first taste of working in a commercial kitchen was at Kapok, where I worked as a pastry/kitchen assistant before moving over to the pastry team at Jaffa at the Oval.”

Mc Leod then ventured into her own business.

For her, cooking is more than just a skill.

“It just brings me joy to watch simple ingredients come together to bring forth something delicious. Seeing the reaction from various people when they taste my products and it instantly brings a smile to their face is truly rewarding.”

Run as an online business from Lower Santa Cruz, Femi’s Sweet Treatz Creations offers a wide array of baked goods, including cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, cheesecakes, and more. Mc Leod’s repertoire also extends to catering for various events.

She shared her thoughts on Easter cooking, envisioning “something light, tasty, and warm, such as fresh muffins or hot cross buns.”

To share a taste of her expertise, Mc Leod offered her recipe for chocolate chip muffins, perfect for Easter gatherings.

Chocolate chip muffins:

1 8oz stick butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp (½-oz) salt
2 cups milk
2 tbsp (1 oz) baking powder
5 ½ cups flour
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using a mixer, cream softened butter and sugar until light in color (approximately five minutes). Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add vanilla.

Add ⅓ of dry ingredients to creamed mixture and stream in ½ of the milk until just combined. Repeat the fifth step, using the remaining milk.

Add the balance of the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. (Mix until just combined. A few small lumps of flour are fine).

Scoop into prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.