"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) AP 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:
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.)
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, adding any spices if using.
Whisk together the liquids in a smaller bowl, adding any zest or extracts if using.
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!
Gently fold in any add-ins, if using.
Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the top.
Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if a sugary crunchy crust is your cup of tea.
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