Muffins!

[stultiloquentia]

I have a request. I bake LOTS of muffins. They're my midmorning snack, almost every day, so my tummy doesn't cave in between the 6 AM wake-up and the 1 PM lunch break. I'm always looking for new recipes. Beneath the cut, I'm going to post a whole bunch of my favourites, and I would love it if, in return, you guys would post yours, either in the comments, or in new posts, if you've got lots of favourites, like me. I love everything from healthy, breakfasty muffins to desserts in disguise, although I usually halve the sugar in new cookbook recipes. Bleh, give the other flavours a chance!

Thank you for your assistance in this important matter.

Notes
I'm afraid there's a fair amount of shorthand going on down below, so here are some basic muffin notes, for them as need 'em. If you're a baking n00b, and want anything clarified, holler.

C = cup = 250 ml
T = Tablespoon = 15 ml
t = teaspoon = 5 ml
Degrees are in Fahrenheit.

So. Turn your oven on. Grease or paper your muffin tins. If you haven't got muffin tins, fear not! Most recipes work just fine in a 9x13" baking pan. Greased.

Assemble your ingredients. Steal and chomp a few of the fruity nutty bits.

When muffining, one needs two bowls, or one big bowl and a 1000 ml liquid measuring cup. Dump all the dry ingredients (usually the top half of the recipe) into the bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon. If the recipe calls for unmelted butter or shortening, cut that in next, with a pastry cutter or a pair of knives, until your mixtures resembles coarse crumbs. Don't go overboard. Pour/crack/glop all the wet ingredients into your liquid measuring cup and mix. Then combine your wet and dry, plus any nutty fruity bits, and stir until everything is just barely combined and moistened. Spoon into muffin tins. Pop into oven. Set timer! You'll know when your muffins are done when, uh, they feel right when you poke them with your finger. (Okay, alternatively, when an inserted toothpick or fork comes out with no goop on.) Remove muffins from tins and cool on a cooling rack while you cool your heels for another thirty minutes. Yeah. Whatever.

Happy baking!

Aunt Rebecca's Blueberry
2 C whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
2 eggs
¼ C melted butter
¼ C oil
1/3 C honey
1 C yogurt or buttermilk
¼ t salt (or not)
1 ½ C blueberries

Barely mix. Bake 350 for 20+ min.

That's probably closer to 30-35 min, actually. And the more blueberries the better. The person I begged and whimpered at for the recipe just flapped her hands helplessly when pressed for measurements. She makes them by scooping up blueberries in her hands with enough batter to hold them together and dumping them in little Pyrex bowls instead of muffin tins. I was a little stingier. The quantities above turn out twelve smallish but fantastic muffins.

Banana Chocolate Chip
2 ½ C flour
¾ C sugar
1 T baking powder
¾ t salt
6 T cold butter, cut into pieces
1 C semi-sweet (duh) choc. chips or walnuts
3 small bananas (2 cups), cut into pieces (they come out best, imo, if you use one or two totally brown and disgusting bananas that have been knocking around in the freezer for a while, plus one or two perfectly ripe ones from the kitchen table.)
1/3 C milk
2 eggs
½ t vanilla

Mix dry, cut in butter, stir in chips. In blender (bah. large liquid measuring cup plus vigorously wielded fork), process bananas, milk, eggs and vanilla just until bananas are chopped. Add banana mixture to flour mixture; stir just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Bake 400, 25-30 min. until golden.

Orange Chocolate Chip
½ C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
½ C yogurt
½ C orange juice
2 C flour
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
peel of 2 oranges, grated
½ C chocolate chips or dates

Bake 400, 20 min. Makes 12.

This is my roommate's favourite recipe, but after I gave it to her, she doubled the orange peel and swapped out the oj for concentrate. She likes her flavours on the explosive side.

Raspberry Cornmeal
1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
½ t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1/3 C sugar
1 T grated orange zest (or more if you really like zesting, or other citrus rind (all lime's a little bitter))
½ C orange juice
½ C buttermilk (or milk + a splurt of vinegar)
1 egg
½ t vanilla
4 T butter, melted (vegetable oil if you're lazy)
1 ½ C raspberries (fresh or frozen) (or 1 ½ C fresh or frozen cherries, or 1 C dried cherries, or 2 C chopped fresh cranberries)

Bake 400, 20-25 min. Makes 10.

Gorgeously breakfasty, and the only recipe (besides jam) to which I will sacrifice a cup of fresh raspberries.

Arizona Cornmeal
1 ½ C flour
1 ½ C cornmeal
1 C corn kernels
2 T sugar
2 T baking powder
¼ t cayenne
1 red pepper, diced
2 T jalapeño, chopped
3 eggs
1 ½ C milk
½ C butter, melted

1 ½ C shredded mozzarella or cheddar

Mix all except cheese. Half fill nine ¾ C muffin tins. Form cheese into nine balls and press into each cup. Top with batter. Bake 400, 25-30 min. Makes 9 large. With a Marabar Cave o' Cheese in the middle. How cool is that? I'll eat 'em any old way, but these are brilliant straight out the oven.

Cheddar
2 C flour
½ C sugar
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
2 C cheddar, grated
1 C yogurt
¼ C butter, melted
2 eggs
½ C pecans/chopped green onion/cooked and crumbled bacon, if desired

Bake 400, 18-20 min. Makes 12.

Morning Magic
2 C flour
¾ C brown sugar
2 t baking soda
¾ t salt
4 t cinnamon
3 C carrots, grated
1 C apple, grated
½ C @ nuts, raisins
2/3 C coconut
         Mix well. Stir in:
3 eggs
1/3 C oil
2/3 C yogurt
1 ½ t vanilla

Bake 350, 20-25 min. Makes 18.

Classic breakfast "just throw the whole compost pile in" muffin.

Cranberry Walnut
2 C flour
1 C sugar
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
1 ½ t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
½ t ginger
½ C shortening, cut in
¾ C orange juice
1 T vanilla
2 eggs
2 t orange peel, grated
1 ½ C cranberries, chopped
1 ½ C walnuts, chopped

Bake 350, 25 min. Makes 18.

My favourite, when I was a young warthog.

Cocoa Oatmeal
1 ¼ C flour
1 C sugar
¾ C oats
1/3 C cocoa
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
½ C butter, melt
1 t vanilla
1 C dried apricots

Bake 400, 15-20 min. Makes 12.

Gingerbread Pear
2 C flour
¼ C sugar
1 t @ baking powder & baking soda
1 t @ cinnamon & ginger
½ t @ cloves & salt
1 C buttermilk
¾ C molasses
¼ C oil
2 eggs
1 pear, chopped

Bake 375, 20-25 min. Makes 12 large.

Chocolate Sour Cream
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 baking chocolate squares (don't ask me! I just threw in what I had, which was a few baking squares, some choc. chips, cocoa powder and extra butter until I had roughly 7 ounces. this is a good recipe for wild experiments.)
1/3 C butter (or almond oil)
¾ C sour cream (or yogurt)
2/3 C brown sugar
¼ C corn syrup (or honey)
1 egg
2 t vanilla (or 1 t almond extract)
1 ½ C flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ t salt
½ C hazelnuts (or chocolate chips, or dried fruit, or cat food...)

Mix chocolate and butter together, then melt carefully in microwave or double boiler. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Mix wet stuff. Mix dry stuff. Mix everything. Bake 400, 18-20 min. Makes 12.

Apple Scones
1 C flour
2/3 whole wheat flour
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t bakingbaking soda
½ t salt
½ t cinnamon
½ C sugar
¼ C butter, cut in
2 small apples, chopped
½ - ¾ C buttermilk
½ t vanilla

2 T brown sugar
2 T sliced almonds

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add apple and most of liquid. Form dough in a ball and knead 8-10 times on a lightly floured surface to blend. Pat into an 8" x ¾" thick round. Brush with buttermilk, sprinkle with brown sugar and almonds. Cut into 8 wedges and wiggle them gently apart by ½". Bake 400, 15-20 min. Makes 8.


Buttermilk Scones
3 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 ½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¾ t salt
¾ C butter, cut in
¾ C dates or currants
1 t orange zest
1 C buttermilk

Knead, roll, cut out. Bake 425, 12 min.

Squash Biscuits
[Annotations courtesy of my friend K. Trust her as you would me!] These are amazing - they're like a cross between a biscuit and a spice cake and pumpkin bread, and I think they might actually be better than all of them.

2 C flour (I'm still experimenting with proportions - the original calls for all white, and I'm slowly changing that to a mix of white and white whole wheat; at the moment, I feel safe recommending at least ½ C white whole wheat, and I expect that quantity can be increased)
3 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
4 T butter (cold, cut in small pieces)
½ C mashed squash (I've made this with all buttercup and with a mix of buttercup and delicata - both are good, though the all-buttercup version edges slightly, in my opinion. I'd suggest sweet, light, not-stringy varieties; save your tougher acorns for something else, and your butternuts for something that'll highlight how awesome they are as themselves. If you insist on conforming to the original recipe, use canned pumpkin. Whatever.)
¾ C buttermilk (or milk + a splodge of souring agent of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 450. [Very] lightly grease a baking sheet.

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter. Stir together the squash and milk; add them to the dry ingredients and mix as quickly and gently as possible, until the flour is just moistened. You may need to add a little bit of water, depending on how wet your squash is.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead (gently!) 5 times. Pat or roll the dough out to about ½" thickness and cut out the biscuits (makes about 12: 11 and the mini biscuit you make from the last scraps of dough).

Bake at 450 for 11 minutes, or until biscuits are golden.

These are best piping hot out of the oven, but they hold and reheat surprisingly well.