z z wrote:
> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
> medicinal.
>
Ah yes. The crispy part is the best. The tops aren't bad either.
I have been known to halve muffins and crisp up other surfaces.

--
Jean B.

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> . com...
>> On 26/03/2012 2:51 AM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>> "z > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>>>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>>>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>>>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
>>>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>>>> medicinal.
>>> I never really liked
>>
>>
>>
>> That's okay Julie. We are used to hearing that from you.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> muffins. Too much like cake. If I did eat one it
>>> would be a bran muffin because I felt those were good for me.
>>>
>>
>> No. Muffins are not like cake. Commercially made crappy muffins are a bit
>> like cake. Real muffins are quite different.
>
> No they're not. I used to have a muffin cookbook. I baked most of the
> recipes that were in there. I used to do quite a bit of baking. Most all
> seemed like cake to me.
>
>
Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and
adjust things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you
have tried it). There is usually some latitude with fat,
sweetening, the types of starch ones uses. I used to play around
with muffins all the time.

(An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old
cookbooks generally had very little sweetener in them.)

--
Jean B.

zxcvbob wrote:
> Here's another:
>
> *Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins*
>
> 1 1/4 C flour
> 1 C rolled oats
> 1 tsp baking powder
> 1/2 tsp baking soda
> 1/4 tsp salt
> 1/2 C sugar
>
> 1/2 C oil
> 1 egg, beaten
> 1/2 C water
> 1 C blueberries (thawed)
>
> Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in one bowl, and egg, water, oil in
> another. Stir egg mixture into dry just til mixed. Add berries. Bake
> at 400° for 18-20 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar.
> Makes about 12.
>
That looks worth trying. BTW, I usually find I can reduce the oil
by 1/2, replacing it with applesauce or some other thing like that.

--
Jean B.

Dave Smith wrote:
> On 26/03/2012 1:58 PM, Ernest Dotson wrote:
>> On Mar 26, 10:07 am, Michel > wrote:
>>> "Julie > wrote
>>> :
>>>
>>>>> No. Muffins are not like cake. Commercially made crappy
>>>>> muffins are a bit like cake. Real muffins are quite
>>>>> different.
>>>
>>>> No they're not. I used to have a muffin cookbook. I baked
>>>> most of the recipes that were in there. I used to do quite a
>>>> bit of baking. Most all seemed like cake to me.
>>>
>>> I believe muffins are generally classed as quick breads (i.e.
>>> leavened with agents other than yeast).
> ............snip..............
>>
>> The big difference is that they aren't made via the creaming method
>> like most cakes. It should lead to a pretty noticeable difference in
>> texture.
>
>
>
> According to Julie, they are just like cake, and she claims that she
> used to make them. We make muffins for Sunday brunch a couple times a
> month. I get a coffee and a muffins 4-5 a week at our corner bakery,
> which uses only healthy ingredients. There may be something in the
> manufacturing process of commercial muffin mixes that give the white
> ones (blueberry, lemon, cherry, coffee cake) an cake like texture. In
> some places, their blueberry muffins are more like blueberry cupcakes.
> That is why I find most of the commercial muffins to be unacceptable.
> They are too light and too sweet.
>
>
> Muffin batter should be made like pancake batter, just stirred enough to
> mix the ingredients. Overworking it destroys the texture.

A lot of the low-quality purchased muffins are cakelike. I detest
those.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>> . com...
>>> On 26/03/2012 2:51 AM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>>> "z > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>>>>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>>>>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>>>>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the
>>>>> flaxseed
>>>>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>>>>> medicinal.
>>>> I never really liked
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> That's okay Julie. We are used to hearing that from you.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> muffins. Too much like cake. If I did eat one it
>>>> would be a bran muffin because I felt those were good for me.
>>>>
>>>
>>> No. Muffins are not like cake. Commercially made crappy muffins are a
>>> bit like cake. Real muffins are quite different.
>>
>> No they're not. I used to have a muffin cookbook. I baked most of the
>> recipes that were in there. I used to do quite a bit of baking. Most
>> all seemed like cake to me.
> Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and adjust
> things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you have tried it).
> There is usually some latitude with fat, sweetening, the types of starch
> ones uses. I used to play around with muffins all the time.
>
> (An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old cookbooks
> generally had very little sweetener in them.)

The muffins I made for myself back when I made them would certainly not suit
a muffin lover. I used a lot of nuts and dried fruits of various kinds that
had been dehydrated. I tried fresh fruits but that didn't work for me. I
used oats and whole wheat flour, only the egg whites, applesauce in lieu of
fat and no sugar at all. I put so much fruit and nuts in there that there
was just barely enough batter to hold it all together.

I ate those when I was on a weight loss diet.

More recently when I had to bake gluten free, dairy free and egg free for my
daughter I would make zucchini bread and put it in muffin cups.

"Jean B." > wrote:

-snip-
>Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and
>adjust things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you
>have tried it). There is usually some latitude with fat,
>sweetening, the types of starch ones uses. I used to play around
>with muffins all the time.
>
>(An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old
>cookbooks generally had very little sweetener in them.)

I'll bet the fact that there was always jelly or jam on the table had
something to do with that.

My first father-in-law would eat a 'helping' of jam with a spoon in
the event that there was somehow no bread or muffin to spread it on.

Muffins were never desert or a snack in their house. They were the
'bread' with dinner or breakfast.

Desert and snacks were cakes, cookies, fudge and ice cream-- and no
shortage of sugar or fat in any of them.

Jim

On Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:05:26 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:

>z z wrote:
>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>> medicinal.
>>
>Ah yes. The crispy part is the best. The tops aren't bad either.
> I have been known to halve muffins and crisp up other surfaces.

In NYC most folks order their corn muffins toasted, sliced through
their equator and cut side griddled in butter. They used to sell corn
toaster muffins, maybe still... I thought they were awful.
http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/st...52&lang Id=-1

On 29/03/2012 12:05 AM, Jean B. wrote:
> z z wrote:
>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>> medicinal.
>>
> Ah yes. The crispy part is the best. The tops aren't bad either. I have
> been known to halve muffins and crisp up other surfaces.
>



I once had a waitress in a muffin shop tell me that I was eating mine
backwards. She thought I should eat the top first, them the bottom. I
told her that I like to save the best part for last.

On 29/03/2012 12:08 AM, Jean B. wrote:

> Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and adjust
> things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you have tried
> it). There is usually some latitude with fat, sweetening, the types of
> starch ones uses. I used to play around with muffins all the time.
>
> (An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old cookbooks
> generally had very little sweetener in them.)


The "versatile muffin" from the Laura Secord Cookbook doesn't have much
sugar in it and the results a great, not too dense, not too sweet. We
can add blueberries to them if we want or just make them plain and have
them with honey or jam. I came across a pear and ginger recipe that I
want to try one day. It has a 1/2 of brown sugar in it, so that
shouldn't be too sweet.


I have just returned from my daily coffee and muffin run and had a nice
maple sugar muffin there.

On 29/03/2012 7:48 AM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

> I'll bet the fact that there was always jelly or jam on the table had
> something to do with that.

I always thought that things like biscuits, scones and muffins were
basically vehicles for jam.

> My first father-in-law would eat a 'helping' of jam with a spoon in
> the event that there was somehow no bread or muffin to spread it on.

My father in law was like that with honey. He has a big spoonful of it
in his morning coffee or tea. Then he had two pieces of whole wheat
toast. He would rip off a piece, slather it with butter than then a big
gob of honey. We figured that he had about 2 pounds of honey per week.


> Muffins were never desert or a snack in their house. They were the
> 'bread' with dinner or breakfast.

They were usually a breakfast bread for us.

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>>> . com...
>>>> On 26/03/2012 2:51 AM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>>>> "z > wrote in message
>>>>> ...
>>>>>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>>>>>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>>>>>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>>>>>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the
>>>>>> flaxseed
>>>>>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>>>>>> medicinal.
>>>>> I never really liked
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> That's okay Julie. We are used to hearing that from you.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> muffins. Too much like cake. If I did eat one it
>>>>> would be a bran muffin because I felt those were good for me.
>>>>>
>>>> No. Muffins are not like cake. Commercially made crappy muffins are a
>>>> bit like cake. Real muffins are quite different.
>>> No they're not. I used to have a muffin cookbook. I baked most of the
>>> recipes that were in there. I used to do quite a bit of baking. Most
>>> all seemed like cake to me.
>> Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and adjust
>> things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you have tried it).
>> There is usually some latitude with fat, sweetening, the types of starch
>> ones uses. I used to play around with muffins all the time.
>>
>> (An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old cookbooks
>> generally had very little sweetener in them.)
>
> The muffins I made for myself back when I made them would certainly not suit
> a muffin lover. I used a lot of nuts and dried fruits of various kinds that
> had been dehydrated. I tried fresh fruits but that didn't work for me. I
> used oats and whole wheat flour, only the egg whites, applesauce in lieu of
> fat and no sugar at all. I put so much fruit and nuts in there that there
> was just barely enough batter to hold it all together.
>
> I ate those when I was on a weight loss diet.
>
> More recently when I had to bake gluten free, dairy free and egg free for my
> daughter I would make zucchini bread and put it in muffin cups.
>
>
I don't know that all people who love muffins look for the same
attributes. Heck, *I* don't look for the same attributes when I'm
making them. All I can say is that I don't like them to be
ultrasweet, and I don't like them to be cakelike. If they contain
an huge amount of fat (of whatever sort), I substitute applesauce
(or some similar compatible thing) for some of it. I also like a
lot of flavor.

--
Jean B.

Jim Elbrecht wrote:
> "Jean B." > wrote:
>
> -snip-
>> Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and
>> adjust things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you
>> have tried it). There is usually some latitude with fat,
>> sweetening, the types of starch ones uses. I used to play around
>> with muffins all the time.
>>
>> (An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old
>> cookbooks generally had very little sweetener in them.)
>
> I'll bet the fact that there was always jelly or jam on the table had
> something to do with that.
>
> My first father-in-law would eat a 'helping' of jam with a spoon in
> the event that there was somehow no bread or muffin to spread it on.
>
> Muffins were never desert or a snack in their house. They were the
> 'bread' with dinner or breakfast.
>
> Desert and snacks were cakes, cookies, fudge and ice cream-- and no
> shortage of sugar or fat in any of them.
>
> Jim

Ah. Interesting comment re the jam. I need to look at some of
the old menus more carefully (IF they even bother to mention jam
and similar substances). Now I am thinking, too, of pie served
for breakfast.

--
Jean B.

Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:05:26 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> z z wrote:
>>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
>>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>>> medicinal.
>>>
>> Ah yes. The crispy part is the best. The tops aren't bad either.
>> I have been known to halve muffins and crisp up other surfaces.
>
> In NYC most folks order their corn muffins toasted, sliced through
> their equator and cut side griddled in butter. They used to sell corn
> toaster muffins, maybe still... I thought they were awful.
> http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/st...52&lang Id=-1

Ah yes! I remember those from my youth. They sure bear little
resemblance to any corn muffin or corn bread that *I* would make.

--
Jean B.

Dave Smith wrote:
> On 29/03/2012 12:05 AM, Jean B. wrote:
>> z z wrote:
>>> I never choose muffins if there is a choice. Best would be lemon
>>> cranberry but only if it has that light colored buttery good crispy
>>> overflow edge on it. The only muffins I make are flaxseed and I put
>>> about 10times the normal amount of cinnamon in them because the flaxseed
>>> absorbs flavor. Those I dont particularly like but regard them as
>>> medicinal.
>>>
>> Ah yes. The crispy part is the best. The tops aren't bad either. I have
>> been known to halve muffins and crisp up other surfaces.
>>
>
>
>
> I once had a waitress in a muffin shop tell me that I was eating mine
> backwards. She thought I should eat the top first, them the bottom. I
> told her that I like to save the best part for last.

Same here. When I make muffins, I usually tinker with them until
the batter is very high in the cups, so I get the maximum amount
of top and overflow. It is absolutely the bast part.

--
Jean B.

Dave Smith wrote:
> On 29/03/2012 12:08 AM, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Well, you have to pick and choose among the numerous recipes, and adjust
>> things to your liking, if a recipe has promise (after you have tried
>> it). There is usually some latitude with fat, sweetening, the types of
>> starch ones uses. I used to play around with muffins all the time.
>>
>> (An aside: I am interested to see that muffins in really old cookbooks
>> generally had very little sweetener in them.)
>
>
> The "versatile muffin" from the Laura Secord Cookbook doesn't have much
> sugar in it and the results a great, not too dense, not too sweet. We
> can add blueberries to them if we want or just make them plain and have
> them with honey or jam. I came across a pear and ginger recipe that I
> want to try one day. It has a 1/2 of brown sugar in it, so that
> shouldn't be too sweet.
>
>
> I have just returned from my daily coffee and muffin run and had a nice
> maple sugar muffin there.
>
>
That muffin sounds yummy. I THINK you have mentioned that book
before, and maybe posted the recipe too. I will try a search.

--
Jean B.