Tips for making the perfect muffins

Muffins are one of the most wonderfully easy baking items you can create. Once you've mastered the basic recipe, you can then begin experimenting with different flavors and combinations of fruit and vegetables. They make a wholesome and filling treat or change for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Following this basic muffin recipe and the tips and hints below, will ensure you have perfect muffins every time.

BASIC MUFFIN RECIPE

2 cups of Self Raising Flour
cup caster sugar
1 cups milk
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
150 g or 5 oz of unsalted butter (melted then cooled)

This recipe makes about 6 large muffins and 12 medium sized muffins. Double the recipe ingredients if you'd like to make more muffins, and you will because they'll be gone in a flash.

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degree Fahrenheit.

2) Melt the butter over low heat and allow it to cool.

3) Sift the flour into a bowl; you can even sift it twice to create more air through the flour.

4) Stir the sugar through the flour in the bowl.

5) In another bowl, beat the milk, eggs and the vanilla. You can use a whisk.

6) Making a well in the center of the flour, slowly pour the milk and egg mixture into it. Then add the butter.

7) Fold the mixture with a wooden spoon, turning the bowl and being careful not to over mix. Stir until it's just combined, the mixture should still be lumpy.

8) Lightly spray the muffin tins with cooking oil or lightly grease with butter.

9) Evenly distribute the mixture into the holes, filling it until about three quarters full.

10) Place muffins in preheated oven and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until they've risen and are golden brown on top.
Once cooked, take them out of the oven and leave in the tin for a couple of minutes allowing them to settle. Loosen the muffins from the tin by tapping it gently or by using a flat bladed knife and allow cooling on a wire rack.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR PERFECT MUFFINS

~Double sift the flour to ensure air runs through the flour. This will make a light muffin.

~Add the butter after the egg and milk because butter does not usually mix well with other liquids because of its oil or fat content.

~Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, not stir.

~Don not over mix muffin batter. As soon as the ingredients are mixed lightly and are still lumpy, it is ready. Over mixing will result in tough muffins.

~Always use the muffin tins as the recipe requests. The bigger the muffin tin, the longer it needs to bake.

~Do not over oil the muffin tin. Even if you are using non-stick pans, still oil them lightly. Over oiling the tins will make it too cooked on the sides and bottom. It's also good to keep your tin lightly oiled because the sugar in muffins can make them gooey.

~After cooking, don't leave them in the tin too long, as the base and sides will be too soggy.

VARIATIONS

Using the basic recipe, you can create beautiful muffins that are either sweet or savory.

~Choc Chip~
Replace the caster sugar in the original recipe with cup brown sugar; add 1 cups of quality choc chips or bits.

~Banana~
To the original recipe, add an extra cup caster sugar and teaspoon of mixed spice to the flour mixture. Using overripe bananas, mash them with a fork and add them to the butter mixture. Use only 1 cup milk instead of 1 cups.

~Blueberry~
Easy-just add 300g or 10oz of frozen or fresh blueberries to original mix. If using frozen berries, add still frozen, as they won't create streaks and mess in the batter.

~Vegetable~
These are my kids favorite, healthy yet tasty and sweet and savory.

Using the original recipe, replace caster sugar with cup brown sugar. Grate some carrot, zucchini and cheese, about 1 of each will do and about to 1 cup of cheese. Using 150 ml of applesauce, add this to the batter as well.
These are very yummy, the applesauce adding that little bit of sweet to the mix.

Muffins are such a great way of using left over fruits and vegetables, taking some common ingredients in the cupboard and creating a wholesome and popular snack. The variations are endless.

Try some cheese and bacon, tomato and bacon, corn and ham, broccoli and cheese, orange juice, pecan, white chocolate. I can keep going because muffins can include anything and everything, apple cinnamon, sun dried tomato and cottage cheesemore? Go to your fridge or cupboard, you will surely have something available to begin cooking now.