With this basic recipe one can create a myriad of muffins by adding berries or chopped fresh fruit, dried fruits, nuts, etc. The liquid ingredient is infinitely variable, from nonfat or low-fat milk to the richest cream. The flexible amount of butter or oil allows you to control the richness of the muffins. Our favorite additions are blueberries or chocolate chips.
2 cups all-purpose baking flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
2/3 cup sugar or packed light brown sugar
4 to 8 tbsp warm melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (if using) in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk or cream, sugar, butter and vanilla.
Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix; the batter should not be smooth.
Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of fresh, frozen, or dried berries (or, as much to your liking).
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 muffins comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan.
Makes 12 muffins
Source: The Joy of Cooking, Copyright 1997 by Simon & Schuster Inc., The Joy of Cooking Trust and The MRB Revocable Trust
