My life is puncuated with muffins and pizza. I'm not sure exactly what that means, or what it says about me, but it sounds good (and tastes good!).
I love muffins. They take 15-20 minutes to put together in the morning, and while they're baking (30-40 minutes) I can shower, shave, get dressed, check my email, etc. Sure, coffee is good, but coffee with muffins, ah, now you're talking!
I like big muffins, the kind some folks call "Texas muffins." You get six muffins to a pan, and they're half-again to twice as big as the usual twelve-to-a-pan kind. These are filling; one Texas muffin makes a decent breakfast for most people. I have one for breakfast, and another one with my mid-morning cup of coffee...
In the old days, I made muffins pretty much by the book, substituting only occasionally when I didn't have a particular ingredient. Then one day it dawned on me that they all had roughly the same volume dry ingredients and wet ingredients, and I started experimenting with my own recipes and variations, and things got really fun. My unsuspecting testers are usually pleased with the results, tho in true mad-scientist tradition I try out new recipes on myself first (checking afterwards for excess hair, invisibility, or any unusual new fetishes and/or superpowers).
Makin' Muffins!
...is really simple. Most of the non-cooking time is spent getting the ingredients together and measuring them. Here are the steps involved:
- Preheat the oven (usually 350-400 degrees F)
- Decide on a recipe and get the ingredients out (5 minutes or so)
- Measure out and mix together the wet ingredients in medium-size bowl
- Measure out and mix together the dry ingredients in a large-size bowl
- Pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff and stir until they're mixed
- Grease the muffin tins (unless you have the cool non-stick kind)
- Pour the batter into the tins
- Bake the muffins for 30-40 minutes (regular-size muffins take only 15-20 minutes)
Muffin Tips
There's something magical about the whole muffin-making process. The time it takes for the oven to preheat is the same as the time it takes to get the muffins ready to go in. The smell of muffins baking is heavenly. And they taste so good, hot right from the oven! I figure I've waited long enough, who wants to wait even longer for them to cool down? ;)
Oh ya, tips (sorry for the sidetrack):
- Use butter, not vegetable oil. I know, it's more fat, but they taste better, and they won't be greasy (bleah, major turn-off).
- Don't over-mix the wet & dry ingredients. The cookbooks say to mix them no longer than one minute, or gluten will form and they'll be tough, but I find that sometimes it takes a little more than a minute to thoroughly mix them. Don't be shy, but don't overdo it, either.
- If you're using regular-size muffin tins, with these recipes you're gonna have a lot of batter left over! Either make 1-1/2 batches (muffins good, more muffins gooder!), or multiply all quantities by 2/3...
- If a muffin comes apart when you take it out of the tin, it may need to cook a little longer, or it may be a fragile muffin (my Apple Bran muffins are 1/2 apple, which makes it tasty but weakly held together). If it's fragile, you can either let them cool a few minutes, or use a knife to gently remove them.
Muffin Recipes
Enough of my commentary. Here are some of my favorite muffin recipes. Try them out. Feel free to experiment. Play. Enjoy. Mangia!
Oatmeal-Raisin Muffins
Blueberry Cheese Muffins
Carrot Muffins
Oatmeal Peanut Muffins
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Apple Oatmeal Bran Muffins
Oatmeal-Raisin Muffins
These are solid muffins, mildly sweet and on the dry side, a little like a scone. Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins.
- dry:
- 2 cups oats
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup raisins
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- wet:
- 1/3 cup sugar (yes, sugar is wet, like tomato is fruit)
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/3 cup milk
- 3/4 stick butter, melted (microwave in a bowl for 30 seconds)
- 2 eggs
Standard prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the tins if they're not the non-stick kind. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients (I use a fork). Pour the wet into the dry, and mix together until the dry is wet (I use a wooden spoon). Spoon into muffin tins, bake for 30-40 minutes (check 'em after 30; the tops should be nice and brown, and a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean).
Blueberry Cheese Muffins
One of my favorite flavors at the UConn dairy bar in college was blueberry cheesecake. They used cream cheese, I use Vermont cheddar or mozzarella or <insert your favorite cheese here>. These muffins are moist and tasty, and a real treat. Kids will love 'em. Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins.
- dry:
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
- wet:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 stick butter at room temperature (if it's cold, microwave 5 seconds on each side to soften)
- 3 eggs
- other:
- 2 cups frozen blueberries
- 1 cup grated mozzarella, Vermont ceddar, or other cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat butter until creamy. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in baking powder and salt. Mash half of the blueberries and stir them in, along with the grated cheese. Stir in the whole wheat flour. Stir in 1/2 the milk. Stir in the white flour. Stir in the rest of the milk. Stir in the remaining blueberries. The batter will be very moist, like a pancake batter (wonder what kind of pancakes this would make?). Pour it into the muffin tins and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Carrot Muffins
These are very tasty; imagine little carrot cakes without the icing. Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins.
- dry:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup sugar (Yes, it's a dry ingredient. And Y is both consonant & vowel.)
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 cup sugar (Yes, it's a dry ingredient. And Y is both consonant & vowel.)
- wet:
- 3 eggs
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 3/4 cup raisins (or 1/2 cup raisins & 1/2 cup walnuts)
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 stick butter, melted
Standard prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the tins if they're not the non-stick kind. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients (I use a fork). Pour the wet into the dry, and mix together until the dry is wet (I use a wooden spoon). Spoon into muffin tins, bake for 30-40 minutes (check 'em after 30; the tops should be nice and brown, and a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean).
Oatmeal Peanut Muffins
An experiment, made with stuff from the abnormal jar (Looook! Mahstah!), that taste great and have this incredible texture. They're full of all these interesting chewy and crunchy things, as much a conversation piece as a food! Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins.
- dry:
- 1-1/2 cups oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1/3 cup sugar (Simon says it's a dry ingredient again)
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1 cup shelled roasted peanuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup coconut
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- wet:
- 1 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Standard prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the tins if they're not the non-stick kind. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients (I use a fork). Pour the wet into the dry, and mix together until the dry is wet (I use a wooden spoon). Spoon into muffin tins, bake for 30-40 minutes (check 'em after 30; the tops should be nice and brown, and a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean).
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
A variation of a classic banana muffin recipe; the peanut butter replaces all of the oil and some of the milk and sugar in the original recipe. Don't throw out those over-ripe bananas! Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins.
- dry:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 3/4 cup oat bran or wheat bran
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup white flour
- wet:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar (It's back to being wet. And light is a wave & a particle.)
- 1-3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sugar (It's back to being wet. And light is a wave & a particle.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the tins if they're not the non-stick kind. Beat eggs and sugar, then beat in bananas, raisins, peanut butter, vanilla and milk. In a larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Fold banana mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into muffin tins, bake for 30-40 minutes (check 'em after 30; the tops should be brown and springy, and a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean).
Apple Oatmeal Bran Muffins
This was one of my first experiments, and a really successful one (IMHO). The muffins have a great texture and taste. For variety (and less work), don't peel the apples to give the muffins some color. Makes 6 Texas muffins, or 18 regular size muffins. Great for harvest time!
- dry:
- 1-1/3 cup oats
- 2/3 cup oat bran
- 1 cup wheat bran
- 1/3 cup corn meal
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup oat bran
- wet:
- 3 eggs
- 1-1/3 cup brown sugar (wet again)
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1-2/3 cup milk
- 3 cups apples, diced
- 1-1/3 cup brown sugar (wet again)
Standard prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the tins if they're not the non-stick kind. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients (I use a fork). Pour the wet into the dry, and mix together until the dry is wet (I use a wooden spoon). Spoon into muffin tins, bake for 30-40 minutes (check 'em after 30; the tops should be nice and brown, and a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean).