“anything you choose” muffins

Ok, so Joy of Cooking just calls these Basic Muffins with Milk, but since you can use whole milk or non-fat, or cream, or sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk, or add any kind of fruit – dried or fresh – or nuts or spices or any variation thereof, I figured I could get away with calling them “anything you choose”.

These really are just a simple muffin – not heavy and bready, not fluffy and cakey; moist but not dense, and juuuuust sweet enough. They are delicious. Sometimes I make them plain Jane with nothing at all. Sometimes I swap out a little all-purpose flour for some whole wheat; sometimes I add a bit of cinnamon and some chocolate chips; sometimes I add fruit and/or nuts. In the variation pictured above, I added orange zest, fresh cranberries, white chocolate chips, and walnuts.

Every time, they turn out delicious.

“anything you choose” muffins

makes 12 – 18 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk or cream (or buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream*)
• 2/3 cup white or light brown sugar
• 4 to 8 tablespoons of either melted butter or oil of choice (more for a richer muffin that will stay tender longer; less for a leaner muffin that will be better fresh)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of any of these possible add-ins: dried fruit, chopped fresh fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, spices, poppyseeds, different extracts and/or citrus zest
• turbinado sugar, optional

*If you use buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt, add 1/2 tsp baking soda to the dry ingredients

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 and prepare a 12-muffin pan with non-stick spray or paper liners. (I always end up with batter for a few extra. I have a little 6-muffin pan that I use, but you can also just bake in batches if necessary. Or risk overflow for some big, glorious muffins.)
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, adding any spices if using.
3. Whisk together the liquids in a smaller bowl, adding any zest or extracts if using.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk with just a few strokes until just combined. Don’t overmix muffin batter! Resist the urge to stir out the lumps!
5. Gently fold in any add-ins, if using.
6. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the top.
7. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if a sugary crunchy crust is your cup of tea.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed lightly. Let cool for a few minutes then remove from the pan. These are best served fresh or within a few hours. If you have them around longer then that, store them in an airtight container. And then I highly recommend splitting them and toasting them and slathering them with butter.

Adapted from Joy of Cooking