Tag: muffin

October 25, 2015

Filled Muffins (Basic Muffin Recipe)

Really, all you need is a good basic muffin recipe that is adaptable to different flavor profiles. After that it’s just a matter of deciding what you want to fill it with. This recipe is a great base-line recipe to keep handy. Today, my daughter and I filled these muffins with black raspberry preserves and apple jelly with a small dollop of caramel for a caramel apple treat.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2c flour
  • 1/2c sugar
  • 1Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 1c milk
  • 1/2c butter(melted)
  • 1 egg
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • Whatever jam, jelly, or filling you want

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients(flour, sugar, baking powder and salt).
  3. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients(milk, butter, egg, and vanilla).
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until the batter is moistened.
  5. Grease muffin tins or spray 12 paper muffin cups.
  6. Place 1 rounded Tbsp of batter in the bottom of each muffin space.
  7. Place 1 rounded tsp of jelly on top of each muffin.
  8. Finally, place 1 tsp of the remaining batter on top of each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, allow to cool. This recipe produces 12 muffins.

Filling Ideas

  • Any kind of jelly or jam works great here.
  • Think outside the box! You can put half of a Tootsie Roll or any kind of soft candy inside. Figure out what works for you and make it your own. This is a blank slate recipe dying for your own sense of taste. Enjoy.
Continue Reading

October 25, 2015

Apple Butter Muffins

Apple butter is always in great supply in our house. It’s a fabulous spread on an English muffin in the morning for breakfast, but it can also be a great addition to your muffins. This recipe produces muffins that are more dense in consistency but produce a moist texture and pie-like spice flavor profile. Enjoy

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4c flour
  • 1/3c sugar
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • 1/2tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 1/4tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8tsp allspice
  • 1/8tsp ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4c milk
  • 1/4c oil
  • 1/2c apple butter

Directions

  1. Mix together the dry ingredients(flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger) in a bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Stir enough to lightly beat the egg.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the batter is moistened.
  4. Grease muffin tins or spray 12 paper muffin cups.
  5. Place 1 rounded Tbsp of batter in the bottom of each muffin space.
  6. Place 1 rounded tsp of apple butter on top of each muffin.
  7. Finally, place 1 tsp of the remaining batter on top of each muffin.
  8. Bake 400° for 15-18 minutes, allow to cool. This recipe produces 12 muffins.

Optional Toppings

  • You can top with your choice of chopped nuts, such as pecans or honey roasted peanuts.
  • cinnamon-sugar or cinnamon-brown sugar
  • small apple slice
  • Whatever you like. You’re the baker of these muffins!
Continue Reading

November 12, 2014

Real Cranberries, the Forgotten Fruit

 

Norman-Rockwell-ThanksgivingNorman Rockwell brought the all American image of holiday Utopia to life for generations to come. But long before it was reduced to a bowl shaped red gelatinous marvel in an infamous print, the glowing red gem known as a cranberry was so much more.

The natives of what would become the New England States used these beauties as more than just a food but as dyes and medicine as well. Early settlers counted on them to treat scurvy and other illnesses. Would be presidents even traded them to one another in return for books and information. Somewhere through the lines of history this fabulous, once treasured fruit has been displaced and almost forgotten. It has been demoted to nothing more than a can shaped ambiguous goo to be pushed around on your plate until, when the perfect moment arises, to be hidden under the table and fed to the anxiously waiting family dog.

Some of us do nothing more with the glittering red fruit  than pouring a splash of its juice over ice, or suffer an even worse fate, being over looked all together. OH HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN! Many folks are perfectly content to let it be at that and nothing more.

However if you are looking for ways to restore these beauties to their former glory, there are a number of ways you can do so. If you are up for a road trip, head on over to a little town in Wisconsin. Every year Stone Lake, WI holds their very own Cranberry Festival, complete with a royal coronation and dinner, wine tasting, crafting fair and even a marsh tour.

For those who might want to stay closer to home, there are a number of ways to add cranberries to your holiday table. Stuffing, breads, and muffins provide you an opening to reintroduce the noble cranberry back into your diet.

Looking for an old world flare?  You can simply simmer a quart of the fruit with a cup of water until it resembles marmalade. Remove from the stovetop and stir in a pound of brown sugar and strain and serve. Another option is use molasses in place of the brown sugar. For a more modern flavor add the rind of orange or lemon or even add a cup of red wine while simmering.

Here are just a few ideas to help you bring back this old time favorite to your family.

May there always be a place at your table and in your heart for those you hold dear. Happy eating, folks.

 

Continue Reading