The Breakfast and Brunch Express, Issue #22 Muffin Tips and Recipes

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The Breakfast and Brunch Express, Issue #22 Muffin Tips and Recipes
February 12, 2008

This month: Muffin Tips and Recipes

In this issue of the Breakfast and Brunch Express, find muffin tips and recipes to help you make a great batch of muffins for breakfast or brunch.

Hello!

There is something warm and comforting about the smell of a batch of freshly baked muffins, especially on a cold day in February. Muffins can be as simple as a plain basic muffin, a chocolate muffin or full of goodies like blueberries, dried cranberries, or a bit healthier like these bran muffins.

Sometimes though, muffins may not turn out as well as expected and can leave you scratching your head as to what happened. Perhaps they didn't rise well and turned out flat on top or spread out too much or ended up with pointy domes on top. Believe me, many batches of muffins I have made have not turned out as well as I have wanted. Over the years I have picked up a few tips on how to make muffins and wanted to share them with you.

Happy Eating and Baking!

Laura

In the next issue: New Kitchen Gadgets

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Muffin Tips

Use fresh ingredients for your muffins and measure accurately. Flour, baking powder and baking soda do have a shelf life and your baked goods will turn out much better.

Sift the flour before measuring so that it can be measured accurately.

Make sure you have pre-heated your oven before baking.

An ice cream scoop works well for distributing an even amount of batter in each muffin cup.

Once the muffins are ready to go to the oven, don't let them sit on the counter unbaked. Bake them right away and use the middle shelf for an evenly browned muffin.

When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, don't overmix the batter. A few dry lumps is normal and they will still bake just fine. Resist the urge to stir anymore than just enough to hold the batter together. Use a larger than normal spatula or spoon to mix and it will help them incorporate quicker. Too much mixing and you will get a rather rubbery and tough muffin and pointy domes.

Paper liners will come off easier if the muffins are cooled completely.

You can freeze muffins for about 2 months wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag. That way you can make a few batches ahead of time and your family members can help themselves to one at a time.

Make sure to grease the muffin pan or use paper liners. You can use butter or cooking spray. To get a nice round top on your muffins, try greasing only the bottom of each cup.

Fill any empty muffin cups half full with water before baking. This will help prevent the pan from warping and your muffins will bake more evenly.

After baking, test for doneness with a toothpick and then remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack. This will prevent them from becoming soggy.

Muffin Recipes

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins: A delicious blueberry muffin recipe made with cream cheese, eggs, and heavy cream that give the muffins a moist, creamy texture. These muffins also have a cinnamon sugar topping that makes them extra special.

Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins: A banana muffin recipe with a special raw sugar topping that brings out the sweetness of the bananas and adds a nice sweet crunch to the muffin tops. Serve these banana muffins warm with butter for breakfast or brunch.

Bran Muffins

Bran Muffins: A healthy bran muffin made with bran flakes, milk, egg, and butter. Serve these muffins with softened cream cheese or a low sugar jam as part of your next breakfast or brunch.

You can find more muffin recipes on my website.

Muffin Cookbook

Muffin and Biscuit Recipes Cookbook Homemade muffins, biscuits, and popovers are some of the best tasting additions to your breakfast or brunch table. Who doesn't like the wonderful aroma of freshly baked muffins, biscuits, spoon bread, or Johnny Cakes filling the kitchen and wafting up to the bedrooms.

There are some amazing muffin and biscuit recipes in this cookbook, most originating from Colonial times. This muffin cookbook has a delightful selection of classic breakfast and brunch recipes, ready for you to add to your recipe collection.

More Muffin Cookbooks:

Ultimate Muffin Cookbook
250 Best Muffin Recipes
Another 250 Best Muffin Recipes

Articles about Muffins:

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

A Muffin is Not, Nor Will Ever Be A Cupcake by Brock Hamilton
10 Reasons Why a Muffin a Day Can Keep the Doctors Away by Ramsey Makar

More Muffin Resources:

Tips for making muffins The Muffin Method vs. Creaming Method
Tips for Successful Muffins Good General Tips

A Helpful Cooking Hint:

Need fluffy mashed potatoes? Try adding a pinch of baking soda to the potatoes when mashing.

Quote for the Day:

Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else. - James Thorpe

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Laura Warnke
1102 S. Wisconsin Drive, Howards Grove, WI 53083

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