Clean-up is minimal–one bowl, no mixer, and you won’t have a pan to wash if you use paper liners, as long as you don’t overfill them.
To me, the most appealing plus of muffin-making is that the batter lends itself to infinite variations, from sweet to savory. The basic batter is adjustable and forgiving. You can make it less sweet if you’re one of those kinds of people. Once, when I was low on eggs, I cut them from 3 to 2 and added a quarter-cup more milk. Speaking of milk, I substituted evaporated milk once. (You should always have a can of evaporated milk in your pantry, just in case. I like it better than any other kind of milk in chowders, potato or broccoli soup, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.)
Add muffins to your menus. You have no excuse not to.
Buttery Blueberry Muffins (Makes 24 standard size or 12 jumbo muffins)
3/4 cup salted butter (1 stick plus 1/2 stick)
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk, preferably whole milk
3 cups all-purpose flour (for whole wheat flour or oatmeal, see variations below)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 cups frozen or 1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and drained
1 Tablespoon coarse sugar (optional)
Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until no streaks of egg remain. It is important to do this now, before the flour is added, otherwise you’ll end up with tough muffins. Stir in the milk.
In a medium bowl or on a piece of wax paper, whisk or sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture–a few streaks of flour are fine. Fold in the blueberries. Be careful not to over-mix–again, a few streaks of flour and some lumps are perfectly fine.
Use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop to portion the batter evenly into the prepared pans. If desired, sprinkle a fat pinch of coarse sugar in the center of each muffin; The sugar will spread as the batter rises.
Place pans in oven and bake for about 20 minutes (25-30 minutes for jumbo muffins) or until muffins tops are light gold and no longer look wet. If you poke it with a finger, it should spring back and not leave an indentation. If you use a thermometer, the temperature should reach 200 degrees.
Carefully place muffins on a rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Store uncovered the first day; if you have any left on the second day, cover the muffins lightly, such as with a piece of waxed paper, or place them in a paper bag one its side and leave in open. The muffins will spoil quicker if they are placed in an airtight plastic bag, so don’t do this unless you plan to freeze them.
For Blueberry Peach Muffins, my favorite version, add one large peach which has been pitted and diced. No one will notice if you don’t peel the peach. Omit the vanilla (or not) and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
For Peaches and Cream Muffins, omit the blueberries and milk. Add 3/4 cup heavy cream or 2 single-serve containers of peach yogurt (regular or Greek) and two pitted large peaches (unpeeled is fine) that have been chopped in 1/4″ dice.
For Orange-Cranberry Muffins, omit the milk and blueberries. Zest an orange; add the zest and the juice from the orange to the batter along with a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries that have been rinsed and drained. Add chopped walnuts or pecans if desired, 3/4 to 1 cup. Bake as directed. Once cool, store in an airtight container, or freeze them.
For Lemon Blueberry Muffins, omit the cinnamon and add the zest and juice of one lemon. Make sure to use the full amount of sugar.
For Orange or Lemon Muffins, replace the blueberries with the zest and juice from 1 lemon or 1 orange. Omit the milk. If using lemons, use the full amount of sugar. The yield will be 16-18 muffins.
For Applesauce Muffins, omit the blueberries and the milk. Add two cups of prepared applesauce. Add a cup or two of raisins and/or chopped walnuts if desired.
For Chunky Apple Muffins, replace the blueberries with peeled (or not) and diced Golden Delicious apples, either 3 medium or 2 large ones. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in place of (or in addition to) the vanilla. If you prefer smaller pieces, shred the apples on the large holes of a box grater. Add a cup of raisins, currants, and/or chopped walnuts if desired.
For Oatmeal Apple Raisin Muffins, Omit the blueberries. Use just 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1-1/2 cups regular or old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant or steel-cut). Add 1 cup of applesauce or 2 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, grated on the large holes of a box grater, along with a cup of raisins (any color) or currants and/or chopped walnuts.
For Pumpkin Spice Muffins, omit the blueberries. Decrease the sugar to 1 cup. Add 1 can (15 oz.) solid packed pumpkin (not ready-to-bake pumpkin pie mix). Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of cloves and increase cinnamon to 1-1/2 teaspoons. Yes, you can add raisins, currants or walnuts for texture. You could also top them with cream cheese frosting and call them cupcakes.
For Cheese Muffins, omit the vanilla and blueberries, and cut the sugar down to 1 Tablespoon. Add 2 cups of cheese: I’ve used shredded mild, medium, or sharp cheddar; Swiss; Monterey jack; pepperjack; mozzarella; provolone; good old American; or a combination of any of them. (This is a great way to use up all the cheesy odds and ends taking up space in the deli drawer of your fridge.) For cheeses such as grated Parmesan, Asiago or Romano, use just 1/2 cup. For Sausage and Cheese Muffins, add 1 pound of cooked, drained, and cooled breakfast or Italian sausage. For Garlic-Herb Cheese Muffins, add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fat clove of minced or pressed garlic with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil. If you like rosemary, add 1 teaspoon of it, very finely chopped. Make Cheese-Sausage-Garlic-Herb muffin, scramble some eggs with spinach and chives, then call it breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Make these in mini muffin pans and serve as snacks with cocktails or beer. Especially beer.
Once cool, serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Reheat in a wet paper lunch bag in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
For Corn Muffins, omit the blueberries, vanilla and milk; decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup; add a 15-oz. can of undrained corn or a can of creamed corn. You can make this with frozen corn that’s been thawed by leaving in the 3/4 cup of milk. (Also: deep fry them by the spoonful, drain on a rack, then sprinkle them with powdered sugar, for Sweet Corn Fritters or Gems.) For Cornbread Muffins, reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup; cut the flour down to 1-1/2 cups; add 1-1/2 cups of cornmeal. You could also add a cup or two of frozen corn that’s been thawed, with or without some fresh or pickled jalapenos and cheddar or jack cheese for Jalapeno Jack Muffins. You could also make Blueberry Corn Muffins. Just sayin’.
If you want to lend the muffins a semblance of healthiness, reduce the all-purpose flour to 2 cups and add 1 cup of whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour plus 1/2 cup of wheat germ, or 1 cup of oatmeal (regular or old-fashioned, not instant or steel-cut). Too much whole wheat flour or oatmeal results in dense, heavy muffins, but if that’s your thing, go for it.
Easiest Tastiest Banana Muffins (Makes 12 standard size or 6 jumbo muffins)
One bowl, one fork, no muss, no fuss, 30 minutes, done.
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 large or 4 medium very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Set your oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack in the middle position of the oven. Line a 12-cup standard cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease it well or spray it with non-stick baking spray.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Using a fork, stir in the sugar. Add the bananas and mash them into the butter and sugar until only small chunks of banana remain. (The mixture should not be perfectly smooth.) Add the eggs and mix well until no streaks of egg remain. Stir in the baking soda and salt; blend well. Stir in the flour and mix gently until just combined; Do not over-mix or else the muffins will be tough–a few streaks of flour and some smallish lumps are fine.
Use a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup to portion the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden and no longer look wet. I know it’s hard, but the flavor of the muffins develops as they cool, so try not to eat them until they cool down for at least 15 minutes.
For Banana-Blueberry Muffins, stir in a pint of rinsed and drained blueberries with the flour.
Raisin Bran Muffins (Makes 48 standard-sized muffins)
I first heard about these muffins from The Frugal Gourmet, a 1980s-1990s cooking program on public TV. Part of the recipe calls for All-Bran cereal, which is sometimes hard to find, so I use extra raisin bran. This is my adaptation of his recipe.
In a very large bowl that has a tight-fitting lid (think Tupperware):
Stir together 2 cups almost-boiling water and 2 Tablespoons baking soda.
Let cool slightly and stir in 1 cup shortening (or butter), 2 cups granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt; blend well.
Add 4 eggs and 1 quart buttermilk; stir.
Add 3 cups all-purpose flour and 8 cups of any raisin bran breakfast cereal. Mix well.
You can make a few muffins right away and refrigerate the rest of the batter to bake as needed; the batter keeps in the refrigerator for 4 weeks.
To bake the muffins, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray muffin tins or line them with cupcake papers and fill 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes in middle level of oven until tops no longer look wet and spring back when pressed lightly in the center.
I live in Sumner, WA, which is billed as the “Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World.” The Washington Rhubarb Growers Association was established in 1937 in Sumner; it is the largest shipper of fresh and frozen rhubarb in the country, and, according to Wikipedia, half of all US production is right here in Pierce County.
Botanically speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit, and what makes vegetables taste better? Butter and salt, of course.
Your favorite recipe for a double-crust pie
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons butter
4 stalks (6 if the stalks are very thin) red or green rhubarb, sliced 1/2″ thick (about 4-6 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
Prepare the pastry. Divide the dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other, flatten the balls and wrap them separately in plastic. Refrigerate.
Melt 1/4 c. butter in a large skillet, add half the rhubarb and saute briefly, just until the rhubarb is softened but not mushy. Remove from heat.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon, if using; stir in the remaining rhubarb. Pour this mixture into the skillet mixture and stir gently to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature while preparing the crust.
Remove dough from refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out the larger disc into a 12” circle and fit it into a 9” pie plate, preferably a glass one. Spoon cooled rhubarb filling into crust. Dot top of filling with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
Roll out the remaining dough into a 10” circle and center it over the rhubarb filling. Tuck the top crust under the bottom crust Use a pair of kitchen shears to trim the overhanging edges to 1/2″ beyond the edge of the pie plate, then crimp the edges together. Cover a large baking sheet with a silicon liner or a sheet of aluminum foil and place pie in the center.
Brush with cream. Cut 4 slits into top crust to allow steam to escape during baking. Place the baking sheet in the oven on a rack that’s positioned at its lowest level.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the bottom crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.
Notes: Sometimes I use Julia Child’s recipe for Pate Brisee Sucree, sometimes I use Krusteaz mix. Of course, you can use commercially prepared fresh or frozen pie crusts.
Frozen rhubarb can be used in place of fresh.
If you want a sweeter pie, add 1/4 cup additional sugar. Most people like their rhubarb pies on the tart side.
If you cannot wait for the pie to cool before eating it, you need to realize that instead of nice neat slices, it will be a goopy mess that you’ll have to scoop with a spoon.
Buttered Strawberry Rhubarb Pie: Increase cornstarch to 4 Tablespoons. Omit the cinnamon. Stem and quarter one pound of fresh strawberries. Add to the filling with the second addition of rhubarb. Proceed as directed.
The filling that overflowed? That can be a good thing if it’s not burnt. The finger swipe is from my taste test.
Go here for ideas for decorating pies:
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