Muffins Your Way

    I am a sucker for any recipe that serves as a base for my own creativity in the kitchen!  This muffin recipe is perfect for letting me use the ingredients I have on-hand for add-ins.  I love experimenting with different seasonal variations.  Last week I happened to have raspberries on hand and they worked perfectly with some tiny chocolate chips to create a lovely breakfast for my family.

   I discovered this recipe in an issue of Every Food several years ago and have at times used blueberries or blackberries.  I have also tried cinnamon chips and they work great, as well.  One of my favorite things about this recipe is that I can assemble half of it the night before I plan to make them.  I go ahead and prepare the dry ingredients so that I can easily mix the wet ones and add them to make the muffins.  This definitely makes for an easier morning!

   The only change I have made to the original recipe is to substitute buttermilk for the whole milk the recipe originally called for.  I feel like the buttermilk adds a great deal more flavor. Since I live close enough to Cruze Dairy Farms, I always, always, always use their buttermilk.  It truly is the very best!   If, however, you do not have buttermilk on hand, using any kind of milk works fine.  I have used both whole and 2% with great results.

Better-Than-Basic Muffins (from Martha Stewart's Every Day Food)

2 C. all-purpose flour (I only and always use White Lily)
3/4 C. white sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

3/4 C. butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1/2 C. buttermilk (I only and always use Cruze Dairy buttermilk)
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix-ins of your choice (baking chips, fruit, nuts, etc.)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 12 muffin tins by greasing or lining them with papers.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Create a well in the center of the  mixture.

Whisk together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Stir very gently, just until combined.  It is ok to leave a few lumps.  Be careful not to overmix!

Add mix-ins.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin tins (depending on the quantity of mix-ins I have used I sometimes need to pour extra batter into my tiny muffin pan or make a few extra big ones).

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.