Friday, October 14, 2016

Master muffin recipe

I like muffins.  I'm actually eating a blueberry pecan muffin right now.
When I worked at Ikeda's, a small family-owned "farmer's market" store in NorCal, I was always excited to find the half-price peach muffins. As an employee, I took half price off of the half price and bought four huge muffins for the price of one. :D

I still like muffins.  Over the last few months, Amos and I have been eating a muffin a day at work as a mid-morning snack.  I make them every two or three weeks and store them in gallon bags in the freezer.

After reading multiple blogposts and making hundreds of muffins, here is my pseudo-recipe, adapted from an old cookbook my mom was tossing out many years ago.  I never follow the recipe exactly, but this is the basic idea.

Jennica's Muffin Recipe
-adapted from Betty Crocker

Whisk...
Two eggs, beaten
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup oil (1/2 coconut oil [melted], 1/2 vegetable oil)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla

Add...
1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned or rolled)
*This warm-milk bath will help the oatmeal soften up; oatmeal gives the muffins a springy texture, very helpful when making gluten-free muffins, like I do.

Let sit while you...

Mix...
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and/or chia seeds (optional)

Stir...
All ingredients together at once, just until incorporated

Fold in...
Any additions mentioned below, unless you want to make banana muffins.**
I have never made plain muffins; I wouldn't recommend it!

Spray...
Muffin papers or muffin cups with oil

Fill...
12 muffin cups to the brim or just a bit over

Bake...
400 degrees for about 16 minutes or until golden and toothpick comes out clean

Transfer...
To a cooling rack immediately

Enjoy!

Other notes...
If you are adding spices, stir them in with the flour
If you are adding pears, apples, peaches, chocolate chips, or nuts, stir in with all of the ingredients, or fold in after you are done with the stirring
If you are adding blueberries or strawberries, fill the cups half full, add a few blueberries or chopped strawberries, and fill the cups the rest of the way
This is not a good recipe for chocolate muffins.  The cocoa makes them too dry.  I will have to experiment with this...
**If you want to use this recipe for banana muffins, reduce the milk to 1/3 cup and add 1 cup mashed banana to the milk-oil-vanilla-oatmeal mixture

Flavor ideas...
Blueberry
Banana
Strawberry
Pumpkin
Zucchini
Carrot
Apple
Pear
Peach
Cinnamon

Topping ideas...
Streusel (press it in)
Turbinado sugar
Granola (press it in)

Favorite variations...
Nutmeg pear (1 teaspoon nutmeg with the flour)
Strawberry
Banana chocolate chip
Cinnamon swirl

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