Muffin Madness

I LOVE muffins in the morning. Here is a great basic muffin recipe, followed by several combos of "add-ins" to make different flavors of muffins.

But first, some tips, tricks and tools:

This muffin recipe is a snap if you measure the ingredients ahead of time. Investing in some prep bowls makes it easy to set your mise en place:

A mise en place is a French term for setting all of your ingredients out, pre-measured in the order you will use them. This speeds up the process and ensures you don't forget anything.

If you don't yet have a muffin tin and are planning to purchase one, I highly recommend the commercial quality bakeware from Williams-Sonoma. I NEVER thought it would make such a difference, but the pans heat so evenly! You end up with perfect baked goods everytime:

And finally, for zesting citrus fruits, see here

Makes 1 dozen large muffins, 1.5 dozen standard muffin tin sized muffins

3 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. minus 1 tsbp. sugar
2 eggs
1.5 c. plain low fat yogurt
Cooking spray OR muffin tin liners (I prefer liners, but either method works fine)

Heat oven to 375.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

Beat in 1/2 of the dry ingredients.

Beat in 1/3 of the yogurt.

Beat in remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the remaining yogurt.

Spray 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with papers. Divide batter into cups. Bake at 375 until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly on wire rack for 5 minutes, remove muffins from tin and cool on racks.

Variations:

Lemon Blueberry: Add 1 tsp. grated lemon zest to butter-sugar mixture. Fold 1.5 c. fresh blueberries tossed in 1 tbsp. flour into finished batter.

Chocolate Orange: Add 1 tsp. grated orange zest to butter-sugar mixture. Fold 1 c. dark chocolate chips into finished batter.

Lemon Poppyseed: Add 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest to butter-sugar mixture. Add 3 tsbp. poppyseeds to dry ingredients.

Cranberry Orange: Add 1 tsp. grated orange zest to butter-sugar mixture. Fold 1 c. dried cranberries or 1.5 c. chopped fresh cranberries into finished batter.