I love muffins.
For the longest time, I despised homemade muffins. (And by homemade, I mean from scratch, not from a box. I love box muffins.)
For some reason, they always had a weird twang to me. I would try different recipes and each time the weird twang would come back. So I gave up and just cuddled up to Betty Crocker and her mixes.
Then, a flash of genius (and hours of cookbook reading) came upon me. I was using the wrong baking powder.
What’s wrong baking powder, you ask? It will have aluminum in it.
So I switched baking powder, staring making muffins, and no more twang. I was happy.
Then I happened onto this all-purpose muffin recipe and I loved muffins even more. It’s so basic, easy and quick, that you can easily whip up a batch for breakfast or dinner without feeling like you slaved over an oven.
The recipe below is for what I call “Chocolate Bottom Muffins”, but you can easily substitute anything for the 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. (Blueberries, Raspberries, Pecans, Cranberries, Poppy Seeds, etc.)
Easy Chocolate Bottom Muffins
Ingredients
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat graham flour
2/3 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temp)
1 cup milk (room temp)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups chocolate chips (frozen or chilled)
Directions
1. Take out eggs and milk and set on counter.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line with paper cups or grease 12-cup muffin tin.
3. Melt butter in microwave in glass container. Set aside.
4. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl using whisk.
5. Combine eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla in another bowl using same whisk.
If you try to put warm butter in with cold eggs and milk, the butter will harden in little pieces in your mixture. In order to have a more uniform muffin, make sure to let the butter cool and the milk and eggs to warm up before mixing.
6. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients with whisk and then mix in chocolate chips with a spoon.
7. Fill muffin cups with batter. Fill each cup to the top. Distribute batter evenly.
These muffins will bake “up” so there is no need to leave room in each muffin cup.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until sides get golden brown.
What about you? What is your favorite muffin? Share it with us via the comments or on the Kansas City Mamas Facebook Page.
So that’s what gives my baked goods that twangy taste! Which brand do you use now??
I use Argo Double Acting. It has big red letters that says aluminum free. (Cause I need that.)
Thanks, Kelly!
Thanks for the advice on baking soda. My muffins and biscuits have all had that wierd twang and I never new what caused it.