Muffins

Muffins are among of the easiest things to bake. Only seven basic ingredients are needed for plain muffins. A 12-muffin batch can be mixed up, baked and served within an hour.

In its simplest form, this is the muffin recipe

2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
4 T oil or melted butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine dry ingredients.
Mix in wet ingredients until just combined.
Grease muffin pans and fill 2/3 with batter.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

The secret to getting muffins which don't get compared to baseballs is not overbeating the batter. When the recipe says 'mix until just combined,' mix until just combined. The instructions were placed there for a reason. It's ok to have lumpy batter. The muffins will turn out fine.

The more creative muffin would still have the seven basic ingredients but with an expanded list of ingredients for added variety. Wet and/or dry ingredients can be used as additions. The muffins can have toppings or icing for a batch made especially for those with a sweet tooth.

GRAIN : 2 to 2 1/2 c white flour
--- or oatmeal, cornmeal, whole wheat, or cereal for 1 cup

MILK : 1 c
--- or buttermilk or sour milk
--- or fruit juice for part or all of the milk

FAT : 1/4 c vegetable oil or 4 T melted butter
--- or margarine or peanut butter

EGG : 1 egg
--- or 1 heaping T of soy flour + 1 T water

SWEETENER : between 2 T to 1/2 c sugar
--- or 3/4 c brown sugar
--- or 1/2 c honey (but decrease milk to 3/4 c)

BAKING POWDER : 2 - 3 t
--- if using grains, use 3t
--- if using buttermilk or sour milk, use 1 t but add 1/2 t baking soda

SALT : 1/2 t

ADDITIONS : up to 1 1/2 c total
--- if > 1 c of wet additions, decrease milk to 1/2 c

1. DRY : nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconuts
2. WET : bananas, carrots (cooked), applesauce
3. SPICES : 1 t cinnamon + 1/2 t nutmeg or cloves

TOPPINGS : combine 2 T sugar + 1/2 t cinnamon
--- dip top of baked muffin in melted butter the sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

ICING : 1 c powdered sugar, 1/4 t vanilla + a little milk to improve consistency

Though I haven't made muffins lately, I do remember that muffins were among the first things I baked when I decided I wanted to bake. I simply loved the muffins at DeliFrance and the ones they had at French Baker. I didn't have an oven at that time but I wanted to bake so badly that I would bake muffins in the microwave oven using Pyrex custard cups. I whipped up a batch of microwave muffins for Eldest Sis when she visited us at Makati a long, long time ago. Do you remember that, ES?

If you must know, although microwave muffins taste fine, they still don't quite have the same texture as oven-baked muffins. So I was happy when we finally decided to buy an oven. I managed to improve the texture of my baked product but I have yet to get that store-bought muffin top texture. And if you must know, my favorite part of store-bought muffins are the muffin tops. Yummy!

(Here's a picture of my favorite muffin.)