Custom Muffins (with Variations)

This recipe started its life as Blueberry Muffins.  Then I tried some variations.  And then I came to realize you can do a lot with the basic muffin batter, so I'm calling it "Custom Muffins" now.

Hopefully, that's not too pretentious.

No, pretentious would be something like, "Completely Awesome Customizable Muffins with {insert trendy ingredient}."

And.... back to the beginning:

So... blueberries were 99 cents for a six ounce container.

What the heck do you do with blueberries? I've always been a blackberry person.  But I can read recipes online as well as the next person...actually, I can do that better than the some people.... but wow, try finding a quick and easy recipe that doesn't involve using a mixer or making 24 muffins.  Next thing you know you'd be out picking the blueberries...

I had to adapt, I used two different recipes and came up with these:

I put down a towel so you wouldn't have to see my icky counter tops.

CUSTOM MUFFINS

1/2 cup milk
1 egg white
2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon extract*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup fruit*

Topping*


Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  (350 if you're using a dark non-stick pan)
If they don't get nice and golden brown on top the first time, try 400 the next time.

Why do recipes always say to "preheat your oven", you're not heating before you're heating it...  and not you're not going to heat someone else's oven...

Grease a 6 cup muffin tin.  Not 6 cups in volume, but a pan with six wells in it.  Like this one, but take the label off.  

This is Baker's Secret Basics Premium Nonstick 6-Cup Muffin Pan It's pretty good, and was less than $8.  Amazon or at the grocery store. "Non-stick" isn't really, but they are easier to wash.  Wilton makes a decent one, too, and it costs less.  Wilton Recipe Right 6 Cup Regular Muffin Pan


I saw one for a toaster oven, too, but I don't have the link.   Any pan that will fit in your toaster oven will work, there's nothing magical about the one that says it's for toaster ovens. 

This is my pan when using the homemade Pan Coating.  Brush it on lightly. 

In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients.   If you are using dried fruit (like raisins), stir them into the flour mixture.  Make sure they separate and get coated with flour.

In a small bowl, or better yet, use a glass measuring cup and save washing another bowl. Measure the milk, then add the egg white, extract, and oil.    Mix up with a fork.

Add to dry mixture and gently mix the batter with only a few strokes.

If you're using fresh (or frozen and thawed) fruit, toss it with a tablespoon of flour, in a zip lock bag is easiest.  Fish them out of the flour (don't dump the whole bag in) and add to batter, stir gently.

Coating the fruiut with flour helps to suspend the pieces in the batter so they don't sink to the bottom.  

Spoon batter into cups.  Fill them almost to the top.  Sprinkle with topping.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, serve warm with butter.

*NOTES AND HINTS:

This can be doubled to make 12 muffins.  Use 1 whole egg if doubling.

The oil is actually 1/2 of 1/3 cup, which is 2 & 2/3 tablespoon.  I use a tablespoon to measure and eyeball it.  It's not chemistry class, it doesn't have to be exact.


As you can see in the picture, I used paper cupcake liners... but the muffins stuck to the paper.  So, either oil the paper cups a little, or grease and flour the muffin cups, or use Baker's Joy or pan coating.


NOTES ON CUSTOMIZING AND VARIATIONS:

1.  Vanilla extract and raisins.  (Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the dry mix)  Top with cinnamon sugar mix.
2.  Orange extract and dried cranberries. Top with plain or decorator's sugar.
3.  Lemon extract and blueberries or raspberries.  Top with decorator's sugar.
4.  Vanilla extract and blueberries, top with cinnamon-sugar.
5.  Vanilla extract and dried cherries, top with plain or decorator's sugar.


The usual ratio of cinnamon to sugar is 1 Tablespoon cinnamon to 1/2 cup sugar.  I keep some in a shaker to make cinnamon toast.  Adjust this to suit your taste.

When using fresh berries,  Rinse and dry the berries.   They don't have to be bones-in-the-desert dry, but dry enough to not make paste when you toss them with the 1 tablespoon flour.  I usually use a zip lock sandwich bag to shake them up. 


Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries freeze pretty well.  Which is good, because $3 for 6 ounces is too much, get them while they're in season and cheap.  Spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze.   Then put into freezer bags, 1/2 cup at a time if you like.  They get a little juicy when they thaw out, but not a lot.   Just pat them dry with a paper towel and you're good to go.

Here's a new hint about berries! Frozen Berries and how to use them in muffins.

There are a lot of fancy sugars out there, but I got this at the supermarket:

Or use plain sugar,  or none at all.