Courier Cookbook

Courier Cookbook Muffins

Muffins come in every flavor and are not just enjoyed at breakfast. Whether bran, corn, blueberry, banana, pumpkin or chocolate, muffins are an alternative to other breads and add flavor and sustenance to a meal. The key to a perfect muffin is not to over mix. Try one of these tried-and-true muffin recipes as a welcome treat.

Banana Bran Muffins

Submitted by Janine Clark and adapted from Jane Brody's "Good Food Gourmet"

Ingredients:

1-¼ cups (about three) mashed bananas

1-½ cups buttermilk

2 cups shredded bran cereal (All-Bran or 100% Bran or similar)

1 egg white and 1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup canola or vegetable oil

1-½ cups whole wheat flour

1-½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup loosely packed brown sugar (dark preferred)

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

⅔ cup raisins (either golden or dark) (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with muffin papers or generously grease muffin pan. Makes about 24 muffins.

2. Combine banana, buttermilk, and bran cereal in a large bowl and let it stand for about five minutes.

3. Add beaten egg white, beaten whole egg, oil, and raisins (if desired) to the mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves.

5. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Combine until just moist throughout.

6. Distribute mixture evenly to the muffin cups.

7. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be frozen for later.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Submitted by Siegrid Rickenbach "Excellent any time of day."

Ingredients:

1-½ cup flour

⅓ cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

Pinch of nutmeg

⅓ cup oil (or melted and cooled butter)

⅓ cup milk

1 egg

½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup mashed bananas (about three)

1-½ cup fresh blueberries or any roughly cut berries, patted dry

Topping:

Turbinado sugar OR

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat oil, milk, vanilla, and egg together.

Add mixture to dry ingredients.

Lightly stir in the bananas and berries.

Heavily butter a muffin tin or use parchment muffin cups.

Fill to ¾ full. Lightly sprinkle with turbinado sugar or combine other topping ingredients while muffins bake to use as a glaze after they have cooled a bit.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Glaze if desired.

Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins

Adapted from SallysBakingAddiction.com

You can always make Marie Callender's cornbread mix and add some jalapeños or you can try this savory recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal (fine or medium ground)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (or 2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice added to milk to equal 1 cup total)

1–2 chopped jalapeño peppers

¼ cup corn (thawed if frozen, fresh or canned. Pat dry)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray. This recipe makes about 14 muffins.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter, oil, brown sugar, and honey together until completely smooth and thick. Then, whisk in the egg until combined. Finally, whisk in the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the peppers and corn. Avoid overmixing.

Spoon batter into muffin liners, filling all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 16-17 minutes. The total time is around 21-23 minutes. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm, not hot.

Next week, we will be exploring the world of the perfect white cake. White cake is a little tricky because butter and egg turns it yellow (and butter and egg are pretty important), but worth the effort as a perfect base for a tres leches cake or can be used for any special occasion. Send your recipes to [email protected].