Muffin Mix and Variations

 MUFFIN MIX 

First, the basic mix, then how to make it into muffins, and then what you can do with that very basic muffin to jazz it up. 

How to make Melt-in-Your-Mouth Muffins

This recipe comes from the Make a Mix Cookbook I've mentioned in previous posts. It's well worth a place on your cookbook shelf. I recommend writing the ingredients below on the container of the muffin mix so it's handy. Add a note about the time and temperature of the oven and you're set to make muffins even after only one cup of coffee. 

2-3/4 cups Muffin Mix 

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted or 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Put muffin mix in a big bowl. Mix all wet ingredients and then add all at once to dry. Stir until just moistened. Do not overbeat. It's supposed to be lumpy, trust me. Fill your muffin tins with your batter until 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Makes about 10 large muffins. 

Fill-in Ideas:

1. Butterscotch Nut - Mix an equal amount each of melted butter and brown sugar. Drop a tablespoon or so of your butterscotch mix and a few nuts in the bottom of the muffin tins before adding your batter. 

2. Dried Fruit- Add 1 cup of dried fruit (cut up with kitchen scissors if large) into the batter and stir. 

3. Fresh Fruit- Gently fold in 1 cup of fresh fruit into the batter or add a few pieces to each muffin tin before pouring in the batter. Bananas should be 1/2 cup, unless everyone loves bananas. Some sharp-tasting fruits like cranberries may need to be rolled in sugar first. 

4. Garden Biscuits- add in 1-2 Tbsp of shredded carrots, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, and 1 tablespoon of fresh green onion.

5. Cheese Biscuits- stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the dry mix before adding in the wet ingredients. 

6. Jelly Muffins- add in some batter, then a dollop of jelly, jam, or preserves. Then finish off the batter to 3/4 full. 

7. Pumpkin Muffins- Do not use paper liners for this. Add in 1/4 cup chopped nuts, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves to the dry ingredients. Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) to the wet ingredients. Mix batter as before. Fill to 3/4 muffin tin, and proceed as before. 

7. Chocolate Chip or other (i.e. butterscotch, white chocolate, or other flavor) Chips: Add in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the dry mix before stirring in the wet.