Alright stud muffins, this one’s for you. A little gift for all of you who seek the perfect recipe for your homemade Mother’s Day breakfast! (psst…if you are a mom, pass this one to your mini bakers…the recipe is easy for kids, but might require Dad’s help while you’re still sleeping. 😉 )
Like most home bakers, I’ve tried a lot of muffin recipes over the years! These muffins have a soft, tender crumb, sweet flavor (packed with the mixins of your choosing), and look bakery-beautiful with a sky-high rise.
A bit ago, I stumbled upon this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and have used it many times. They are a great addition to brunch, the perfect treat for a family with a new baby, and a sure-winner recipe for bake sales and neighbor gifts. If you don’t already frequent Sally’s site, be prepared to spend some time browsing! The recipe below includes only a few minor changes, simply due to the ingredients I usually have on hand and my preferences, etc.
Why it Works:
There are a lot of muffin recipes out there. Most recipes are reasonably good…I mean, it’s a MUFFIN. But haven’t we all tried a recipe or two that yielded heavy, dense, flat-topped, and/or green-crumbed muffins? Maybe it’s just me…
This recipe works for so many reasons! First, it can be customized for your favorite flavors – banana nut muffins, blueberry muffins, chocolate chip muffins…your choice. You’ll note some great tips when you visit Sally’s site for recipe modifications. The use of oil and buttermilk help achieve a soft, tender crumb. The egg and high ratio of baking powder helps with the rise. The thick batter helps to keeps mixins suspended. And the hot bake temp of 425F (for 5 min), helps those muffin tops pop up nice and high. Your friends will think these muffins came from a bakery!
These muffins are delicious right out of the oven, and make a yummy treat for Mom. If you plan to save a few, consider freezing the right out of the oven to help lock in moisture.
Berry Muffins
Ingredients
- muffin liners or parchment squares fitted to muffin pan
- 1 c milk
- 1 Tbs white vinegar
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c fresh berries, washed and dry
- coarse sugar for topping the muffins (can use granulated if needed, but it won’t be as pretty!)
Directions:
- In a small bowl, or 2c measuring cup, mix the milk and vinegar together. Let mixture sit at least 5 minutes. (This “premix” is a substitute for 1c buttermilk.)
- Preheat oven to 425F and prepare muffin pan with liners, parchment paper or cooking spray.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
- In a larger bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and milk premix from step 1.
- Gently combine the dry ingredients and the “wet” ingredients, mixing just enough to combine. As we know, over-mixing will result in dense muffins! Carefully fold in the berries.
- Fill prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of muffins.
- Bake at 425F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 375F (keeping muffins in the oven) and bake another 12-14 minutes, or until they spring back to the touch and toothpick comes out clean.
* Recipe source: Sally’s Baking Addiction
