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Basic Muffin Recipe with Variations

Servings: 10-12 muffins
Comments:
Muffins are not just for breakfast anymore. They are great for an after school snack, as a dessert or served with dinner. Flavors can be added to change the whole taste of the muffin. Toppings can be added and ingredients can be mixed right into the batter. If you're having your muffin for dinner, try adding something savory into the batter, not something sweet. With the basic muffin recipe, the possibilities are endless! Try a little of this and a little of that until you find the muffin that's perfect for you.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, milk and oil to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Grease or line muffin tins with paper baking cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees F/200 degrees C for about 20-25 minutes.

Makes 10-12 muffins.

VARIATIONS:

Now comes the fun part! You can change this recipe to make hundreds of different variations. How about blueberries in the batter with cinnamon topping? Maybe peanut butter chips in the batter and jelly as a topping? Find an add-in or a topping you like from the lists below, and you're on your way to creating an original muffin all your own. Maybe you would like a flavoring and a topping? How about just an add-in? The choice is yours.

ADD-INS

SWEET:

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped, peeled apples
3/4 cup chopped dates
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup pecans, walnuts or almonds
1 cup flaked coconut
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup drained canned pineapple

SAVORY:

1 can chopped green chiles, drained
Small can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar, Muenster, Swiss, Monterey Jack)
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onions

FLAVORINGS

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Replace the milk in the recipe with pineapple juice or apple juice
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. pure orange extract

TOPPINGS

SWEET:
Add 1 teaspoon of your favorite jelly to top of each muffin before baking
Finely chopped nuts
Cinnamon
Granola
Brown sugar

SAVORY:
Crumbled bacon
Grated cheese
Sunflower seeds

Tips to help you make the perfect muffin:

Don't over-mix! Stir the batter until the dry ingredients are just moist. The batter should be lumpy. Over-mixing will result in a tough muffin.

Make sure to grease the muffing tins or use paper baking cups. This is especially important if you're baking a low-fat recipe which tends to stick. Remove muffins from tins as soon as you take them out of the oven. Remove the paper liners as soon as the muffin is cool enough to handle to prevent sticking as well.

Muffins are best when they're hot out of the oven. If you're not using a topping, you can brush the tops of each muffin with melted butter, if desired, to give a nice appearance.

About the Author: Donna Smith is an iParenting contributing writer and the Kids in the Kitchen Guide for Suite101.

Source: Recipestoday.com
Date: May 20, 2007