OPINION —
When the house is filled with the aroma of bread baking in the oven, it gives everyone in the family a lift. While yeast breads are delectable, muffins are also popular and the easiest of breads to prepare. Whether they are sweet or savory, embellished with blueberries or pecans, freshly baked warm muffins can brighten a weeknight meal.
Muffins are also easy to freeze. It is easy to double the recipe to keep an extra batch in the freezer to pull out for breakfast, lunch or dinner. On cold mornings, serve warm muffins with breakfast. They are much more appealing than cold cereals. Oatmeal and bran muffins are especially good in the mornings.
Cornbread muffins are a favorite at our house, and there are a variety of recipes. including ones with corn. When making cornbread muffins, be careful not to overmix the batter. Just blend until mixed. Be careful not to over or underbake, and don’t leave muffins in the pan to cool.
While cornbread muffins are good served plain, they can be enhanced with honey-butter. To make, simply combine ¾ cup softened butter with ¼ cup honey and beat until smooth. You may want to add more or less honey to taste. You can serve the honey-butter spread with muffins or spread on top of muffins while they are hot.
While cornbread muffins contain sugar and are slightly sweet, they are different from southern cornbread that was savory instead of sweet. Northern versions were generally sweet.
Native Americans used corn and would grind it into meal, mixing it with water. They influenced European settlers and when wheat flour was difficult to find, they used cornmeal. They mixed it with water and cooked it over fire.
During the Revolutionary War, Civil War and the Depression, cornbread provided low-cost food for families and soldiers. Over the years, variations evolved into corn pones and hoecakes.
Any of the muffin recipes can be baked in mini muffin pans. The mini ones are great to have on hand for after-school snacks or to serve at lunch with a cup of soup or salad. I also like to keep mini muffins on hand to serve with a cup of hot tea. Keep a bag of mini muffins in the freezer to have on hand for when you need an easy snack to serve.
If you like yeast bread, try the No Knead Yeast Muffins. The batter is easily mixed, and there is no kneading or rising time. The batter for these muffins will keep a few days in the refrigerator, and you can bake several fresh batches.
The Applesauce Muffins and Bran Muffins with Cranberries are two other batters that are stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Both recipes will provide for plenty of muffins. The refrigerated batters are great to have on hand for baking on busy days.
The Buttery Muffins go together quickly but are rich, so you may want to bake them in miniature tins. Once, we stayed at a bed and breakfast inn that was serving these muffins at breakfast and at dinner with chives in the batter. Everyone at tables around us loved them, and a few people wanted to buy some to take home. I talked to the chef who gave me the recipe.
For a different way to serve muffins, bake the batter in phyllo cups. Simply layer two phyllo sheets brushed with melted butter and cut into squares slightly larger than the diameter of the muffin cup. Place pastry in muffin cup and spoon in batter. Bake until muffins are cooked. This will create edible, crunchy liners.
Following are a variety of muffin recipes from sweet to savory. Try a couple of recipes this coming week and treat your family to a couple of yummy muffins at breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack anytime.
PHYLLO MUFFIN CUPS
Box frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Melted butter
Stack two sheets at a time and brush with melted butter. Cut the pastry into squares slightly larger than the diameter of muffin cups. Place pastry in muffin cups; spoon in batter. Follow muffin baking time, and bake until muffins are done. The pastry makes an edible lining for the muffins.
For miniature muffins, use pre-baked, frozen phyllo dough shells. Place shells on cookie sheet; spoon in batter. Bake until muffins are cooked.
GLAZED ORANGE MUFFINS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
Grated rind of half an orange
¼ cup orange juice
Orange Glaze (recipe follows)
Cream butter and sugar until creamy; add eggs one at a time. Add baking soda to buttermilk; stir to dissolve. Add to sugar mixture. Stir in flour, orange juice and orange zest.
Spoon into miniature greased muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes.
Remove from tins and drizzle Orange Glaze on top and sides of muffins. Makes four dozen.
Orange Glaze:
¾ cup orange juice
1½ cups granulated sugar
Grated rind of half an orange
Combine ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Chill in refrigerator.
CORNBREAD MUFFINS
Janet Barlett
My father-in-law was a Chief Steward on a merchant ship. This was his cornbread muffin recipe.
2 cups plain white cornmeal
2 cups plain flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 ½ cups buttermilk
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs and add buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients, stir until well blended. Stir in oil until completely mixed in batter. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
EASY CORNBREAD MUFFINS
Mary Hodson
Canola oil
2 cups Martha White buttermilk self-rising cornmeal
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup water
¼ cup canola oil
This should make 12 muffins. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Use cast iron muffin tins. Pour small amount of canola oil in each cup. Heat pans until smoking.
While heating pans, combine 2 cups self-rising cornmeal with buttermilk and water. Mix well. Then add canola oil and again mix well.
Batter should be about the consistency of cake batter. If not, add more water to thin.
Pour mixture hot pans about ¾ full. Cook for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
APPLESAUCE MUFFINS
Batter stores well in refrigerator.
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. soda
2 cups applesauce
1 cup chopped pecans, optional
Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture. Add applesauce and nuts. Bake in greased muffin tins at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Batter can be stored in airtight container in refrigerator for a week. Muffins freeze well.
BUCKHEAD DINER’S YELLOW CORN MUFFINS
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
4 green onions, finely sliced
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups buttermilk
¼ cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two muffin tins. Pour oil into skillet; sauté corn, jalapeno and onions until soft; set aside.
Combine dry ingredients. Mix eggs, buttermilk and butter together; add to dry ingredients. Stir in corn mixture.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake about 20 minutes for regular muffins; 10 to 12 minutes for mini muffins.
LEMON YOGURT MUFFINS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs, room temperature
1¼ cups plain or lemon yogurt
¼ cup melted butter, cooled
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
Syrup Glaze:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. water
Combine dry ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl, mix remaining muffin ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes.
While muffins bake, combine syrup glaze in small saucepan. Boil one minute. When muffins are done, pierce top of muffins two or three times with a fork. Drizzle 2 to 3 tsp. glaze over the muffin. Cool three minutes; remove from tins.
NO KNEAD YEAST MUFFINS
1 pkg. yeast
2 cups warm water
1 ½ sticks butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 cups self-rising flour
Place yeast in warm water. Cream melted butter with sugar; add beaten egg. Add yeast and water, then flour. Drop batter into greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be stored tightly covered in refrigerator up to a week.
SALLY ANN’S OATMEAL MUFFINS
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ cup oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
Combine oats and buttermilk and soak 30 minutes. Sift flour with salt, soda and baking powder. Add oil, brown sugar and beaten egg to oat mixture and blend. Stir in dry ingredients only long enough to moisten. You may add pecan pieces if desired. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 12 medium sized muffins.
BUTTERY MUFFINS
Can add grated cheese for a different taste.
¾ cup melted butter
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sour cream
Combine butter, flour and sour cream in a bowl; mix well. Spoon into ungreased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cheese Buttery Muffins
Mix 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese into batter.
BANANA MUFFINS
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas, about 2 medium
½ cup milk
½ cup cooking oil
2 cups flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs, stir in bananas, milk and oil. Add dry ingredients; mixing until just moistened. Fill greased muffin pins ¾ full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
REFRIGERATOR BRAN MUFFINS WITH CRANBERRIES
Carol Dillard
Makes about 50 muffins.
15 oz. Raisin Bran
3 cups sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
1½ Tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Mix all above ingredients together.
Add to dry ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup melted butter
1 quart buttermilk
Stir to blend well.
Fill greased muffin tins that have been lined with muffin papers ½ to ¾ full. This depends on how large you want the muffins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This batter mixture keeps well in refrigerator.
URSULA’S NUTTY GINGERBREAD MUFFINS
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
Combine in mixer and beat well.
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
Dissolve and add alternately with flour and spices and nuts to molasses mixture.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts
Combine ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk to molasses mixture.
Fill paper lined muffin cuts 2/3 full. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.
BLUEBERRY CREAM MUFFINS
Judy Freeman
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries (for frozen, thawed)
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, then gradually add sugar. Slowly pour in oil, then add vanilla extract. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, then add alternately with sour cream to wet ingredients. Gently fold in blueberries.
Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes three dozen.
CAPPUCCINO MUFFINS AND ESPRESSO SPREAD
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ sugar
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
½ cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
Espresso Spread:
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. instant coffee
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
In a food processor or blender, combine spread ingredients; process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir in coffee and milk until coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for five minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve with spread. Makes 14 to 16 muffins.
