Basic Muffin Recipe

Wouldn’t you love to provide your guests with home-baked muffins in the morning? Wouldn’t you like to be the guest presented a beautiful muffin in the morning? Even better, wouldn’t you like to give yourself a warm-from-the-oven muffin on a not-so-special day? This is an especially good recipe, adapted from a beloved coffee cake. It is a very basic batter made from all good things, and is wonderful on its own as a sour cream muffin, but even better when you add ingredients. If you want to lighten it up, use egg whites and low-fat sour cream, but leave the real butter in. It’s works out to be a minimal 1 teaspoon of butter per muffin, and the flavor is well worth it. Make a bunch and flash freeze any leftovers, then keep frozen all together in a large zippered freezer bag. Take one out the night before and the next morning – happiness!

Basic Muffin Batter – Makes 24 regular sized or 12 super sized muffins

¼ lb. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 pt. sour cream
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and beat well.

In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, about a third at a time, mixing well.

Add ins:
Blueberry: 2 c. frozen blueberries dusted with flour and ½ tsp. lemon OR almond extract

Coffee cake: 1 c. brown sugar mixed with 1 tbs. cinnamon. Layer batter, sugar mixture, batter, sugar mixture. Bake and when cooled, dust with confectioner’s sugar or drizzle with glaze.

Chocolate chip: Add 1 ½ c. mini chocolate chips dusted with flour

Orange cranberry: Add 1 ½ c. craisins and 1 tbsp. grated orange peel. If you have orange extract, add 1 tsp.

Or anything else you like in your muffin!

Use paper liners or spray muffin tins with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 21 minutes (for regular size, longer for larger muffins) or until tops are dry and bounce back when touched.

I'll be blogging again on Monday. This weekend I'm making a cupcake wedding cake for a good friend!

Next blog: Lake George Wedding

Photo credit: Sydney Waring