Mostly Muffins

Many people I know turn out some tasty meals in the kitchen, but shudder with dread when the subject of baking is introduced. Muffins are a perfect way to overcome the fear of tackling baked goods and this little book makes an excellent guide. The recipes are organized by category -- sweet or savory -- with subdivisions in sweet such as fresh fruit/vegetable, dried fruit/nut, and grain. In addition there is a short section of recipes for spreads to accompany the muffins. Most of the recipes are simple and can be made -- from the mixing of dry and wet ingredients to the completion of baking -- in under an hour. Basic equipment such as measuring spoons and cups, mixing bowls, and muffin pans are all you need for the majority of recipes. Only a few recipes (mostly spreads) require a mixer or food processor. The basic technique, as explained by the authors, is to mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, make a well in the dry, and stir the wet into the dry. They emphasize that you should not over mix the ingredients for the best results. The recipes are very forgiving. When I went to make my first batch -- Apple Bran Muffins -- I was unable to obtain two ingredients listed in the recipe: plain yogurt (if you can believe that) and bran morsels. No problem. Since vanilla was used in the recipe, I simply purchased vanilla yogurt and substituted rolled oats for the bran. They turned out delicious even though I had to substitute one of the key ingredients. Also in this particular recipe, you can increase the dark brown sugar from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup for a slightly sweeter muffin without a problem. In addition to the Apple Bran, I can recommend the Ginger Pear, Hazelnut, Maple Walnut, and Cappuccino Chip muffins from the sweet category. From the savory recipes try the Ham and Cheese or Sausage and Apple muffins. If you are fond of Boursin cheese with herbs, you will love the Boursin cheese muffins. They are perfect as an hors d'oeuvre or with a crisp green salad. As a great way to starting baking in general and muffins in particular, I give this book a five-star recommendation.

I have a lot of cookbooks on my shelf, but this tiny volume is one of my favorites and packs a lot of punch for its size. I have made the blueberry and banana muffins. Both were excellent. The value of this book is outstanding.

You can count on all the recipes in this book being tried and true. My copy is held together by a rubber band because I use it so much. The corn muffin recipe makes the best I've ever had (I add just a little extra sugar, and sometimes use buttermilk) and the cappuccino chip muffins are fantastic (try adding toffee chips). Be sure to try the new "More Muffins" as well as the other books in the series -- Totally Teabreads, Simply Scones, etc. All are reliable.

This book is stained and dog-eared because I have used it so many times to make these delicious muffins. The banana, carrot cake, blueberry, gingerbread, and oat bran muffins are some of my favorites. Each week I make at least one of the muffin recipes from this book!

This is the ultimate primer for muffins. Not only do they have good recipes, but they also give you basic muffin recipes so that you can create your own muffins.