photo by jspatchwork

Muffins are perfect for every season. They freeze well, and they whip together in minutes, so you can enjoy the old-fashioned Muffin Man goodness whenever the craving hits. They’re scrumptious plain but are amazing with spreads, compound butters, jams and jellies.

Many people can create delicious meals, but not everyone can bake. If you’ve tried making muffins and were disappointed because they turned out undercooked, too dry or flat, give it another shot.

Typical muffin problems are remedied easily with the following tips.

TOO DRY: Too much flour, overmixing or baking for too long creates a dry muffin.

FLAT OR UNDERCOOKED: This problem can be caused by overfilling muffin cups (cups should be three-quarters full), incorrect oven temperature, too much liquid, not enough leavening, not positioning your muffin pan in the center of your oven or too many added fillers, such as fruit. To fill cups evenly, try using an ice-cream scoop.

TOO BREADLIKE: If you like muffins that are more cakelike than breadlike, look for recipes that contain more fat, such as butter or oil.

TOO PLAIN: Add a streusel topping.

Streusel topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flout
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle over top of batter. Makes enough for 1 batch of 12 muffins.

Mix-n-Match Quick Bread or Muffins
(Makes two loaves or 24 muffins)

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups mix-n-match (see note below)
1 cup chopped nuts or seeds (your choice)

Note: Mix-n-match (one or more of the following to equal 2 cups): apples, grated or chopped; applesauce; apricots, chopped; bananas, mashed or chopped; berries; carrots, cooked and mashed, or grated; cherries, pitted and chopped; coconut, grated; cranberries, dry or raw, chopped; dates or figs, pitted and finely chopped; lemon, 1/2 cup juice; marmalade (omit 1 cup sugar); oranges, chopped; orange juice, 1/2 cup; peaches, fresh or canned; pears, fresh or canned, chopped; pineapple, crushed and well drained; prunes, chopped; pumpkin; canned raisins; rhubarb, finely chopped (add 1/2 cup more sugar); strawberries, well drained; sweet potatoes or yams, cooked and mashed, or grated; zucchini, grated and well drained.

For bread: Sift together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat eggs; add oil and sugar; cream together. Stir in vanilla and your choice of mix-n-match. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in nuts.
Spoon into 2 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 F for 1 hour.
For muffins: Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes.

Source: Deborah Taylor-Hough, author of “Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month” (Champion Press); www.simplemom.com

FLAVORED BUTTER: To make flavored butter for your muffins, combine the ingredients listed below with softened butter. Mix with a wooden spoon or hand mixer. The ingredient amounts are all to individual taste, so start in small increments. I suggest using 1 pound of butter and adding 1/4 teaspoon of ingredients at a time until it’s a flavor you enjoy. Flavored butters can be stored in plastic tubs or in a small crock.

Try: cinnamon, honey, vanilla, thyme, chives, rosemary, sage, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, powdered sugar, peanut butter, melted semisweet chocolate chips, powdered sugar, vanilla, coffee granules, chopped hazelnut, honey, strawberries and powdered sugar, peach, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, apple-pie spice, rosemary, chives or lemon.

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