Muffin Mania!

Reading Time: 4 minutes

What’s more inviting than a warm muffin with a cup of tea or mug of coffee? Someone to share it with! The muffin recipes I’m sharing our family favorites and easy enough for the little ones to help.  

Store-bought muffins can’t compare with homemade, and the bonus is that muffins can be frozen and rewarmed in the oven or microwave.  

I’m giving expert tips, too, on making the perfect muffins. These tips come from pantry fair judges and are spot-on for tender, tasty muffins. 

BLUE RIBBON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS 

These won a blue ribbon at our county fair. Note the range in sugar. If berries are really sweet, you may not need the full cup. 

Ingredients 

• ½ stick unsalted butter 
• ¾ to 1 cup sugar  
• 2 large eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 2½ cups fresh blueberries or frozen, not thawed, tossed with flour that you use in the recipe 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour  
• ½ cup whole milk 

Optional toppings: (sprinkle on before baking) 

Streusel: Mix together until crumbly: 2 tablespoons flour, 3-4 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons butter. 

Cinnamon sugar: Mix together 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg. 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  
2. Spray or grease muffin tins. 
3. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.   
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Blend in vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  
5. Toss blueberries with the two cups flour.  
6. Very gently, and by hand, fold in flour blueberry mixture.   
7. Stir in milk.   
8. Spoon batter into sprayed or greased muffin tins and if using topping, sprinkle with the topping.   
9. Bake 22-25 minutes until golden brown and top feels springy to the touch when pressed. Don’t overbake. Makes about 15-18 muffins. 

ALWAYS READY REFRIGERATOR BRAN MUFFINS 

The batter can be kept two to three weeks in the refrigerator. My batter lasted two weeks before I used it up. Not a real sweet muffin. I love having this batter on an as-needed basis. 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup boiling water 
• 3 cups whole bran breakfast cereal (not flakes) 
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 1 stick butter 
• 3 large eggs 
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups buttermilk (I use whole buttermilk) 
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla 
• Extra sugar for sprinkling on top (optional) 

Instructions 

1. Add water to cereal and stir until cereal is moistened. Set aside.  
2. Cream brown sugar with butter until smooth.  
3. Add eggs one at a time and beat until light.  
4. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, and vanilla until blended. 
5. If not baking at once, transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate two to three weeks.  
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
7. Spoon mixture, about ¼ cup for each muffin, into sprayed or greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.  
8. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or so until golden and top springs back when pushed with a finger. 

BLENDER WHOLE ORANGE DATE MUFFINS 

Unusual in that you use the blender to mix the muffins. Sometimes I drizzle them with a powdered sugar glaze once they cool. 

Ingredients 

• 1 juice orange, about 8 oz, with peel, washed and dried 
• ½ cup orange juice 
• ½ cup chopped dates — can buy already chopped 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 stick butter, cut up and softened to room temperature 
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 
• ¾ cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  
2. Cut the orange into eight or so pieces and remove seeds.  
3. Put orange pieces, juice, and dates in a blender. Puree.   
4. Add egg and butter and blend. It will look curdled. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Pour orange mixture over top and stir gently to combine.  
6. Pour into sprayed or greased muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full, and bake 15-20 minutes, until top springs back when pushed with a finger. Don’t overbake.   
7. Makes 12 muffins, or about 18 mini-muffins. (If making mini-muffins, check after about 10 minutes).    

SIMPLE POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

Ingredients 

• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar 
• 3 tablespoons water, milk, or fruit juice 
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

Instructions: Just whisk everything together. 

GOLDEN CORN MUFFINS 

Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven for an extra layer of flavor.  

Ingredients 

• 1½ cups sifted flour 
• ¾ cup cornmeal 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 
• 3 tablespoons melted butter 
• 1 cup milk 

Instructions 

1. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 
2. Combine eggs, butter, and milk.
3. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon batter into sprayed or greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. 
4. Bake 15 minutes or until top springs back when pushed with finger. Makes about 12 muffins. 

TIPS FOR PERFECT MUFFINS 

• “Sifted flour” means sift before measuring. “Flour, sifted” means sift after measuring. 
• If using fruit or nuts, toss with the flour called for in the recipe. This keeps them nicely suspended and prevents them from sinking to the bottom. 
• If using paper liners, no need to spray or grease. 
• Generally speaking, fill with 2/3 cup batter.  
• The outside should be golden brown, with no peaks or knobs on top. 
• The inside should have fairly uniform holes with no long slender tunnels. That means you’ve overmixed. Mix only long enough to get the dry ingredients wet.  
• The batter will look lumpy.  
• Unfilled tins should be filled halfway up with water. This will allow the rest of the muffins to bake nicely and will prevent pan warping. 
• Avoid soggy muffins by removing from tins right after they bake.  

IS MY LEAVENING STILL ACTIVE? 

If baking powder or soda is old, it may not leaven properly.  

• To test baking powder, add a small amount in warm water. It should fizz up right away. 
• To test baking soda, add a small amount to acidulated water (add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to the water). It should also fizz up right away. 

Originally published in the October/November 2019 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.