Basic Muffin Mix, Streusel Tops, and Yumminess...

This week I made Connie Evan's amazing muffins. They made me so happy especially since I made a new year's resolution not to have "treats" in the week! So, I thought this would be ok for a non-treat. It was a logical plan, right? (I later cheated on my "no treat" plan, but that's another story.) Moving on...

(Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Top)

Master Muffin Mix

12 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons baking powder

4 1/2 teaspoons salt

In a big bowl, combine ingredients. Put in an airtight container and store in your pantry so you can make muffins in a moment's notice.

Muffins

2 cups of Master Muffin Mix

1 egg, beaten well

1 cup milk (or 1 cup water)

1/3 c. soft butter (or 1/3 cup vegetable oil)

Combine to make a thick batter, thicker than pancakes but not like dough.

To make more cake-like muffins, make sure you use the above ingredients including the milk and melting butter, then add the following ingredients:

1 more egg, well beaten

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all together till there are no more lumps. (To produce a "high crown" on the muffins, allow them to sit for 10 minutes before pouring the batter into muffin tins.) Grease muffin tins well then add dough until it's 3/4 of the way full (if add streusel topping below then do a little less). Connie says she doesn't use cupcake liners because it waste too much of the muffin. I was much happier with the way they looked this way too. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Touch on top to see if it is done. Makes 15 regular-sized muffins. I doubled my batch since there are six of us in our family.

Variations:

Cranberry Muffins

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup fresh cranberries (sadly these are seasonal)

Blueberry Muffins

1 cup blueberries, drained and raised
Add 1 tablespoon flour to blueberries before fold to batter.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
Add an extra egg for a more cake like muffin.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins
1/2 cup dried apple chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
For a sweeter muffin add extra egg and 1/4 cup additional sugar

Butterscotch Muffins
Melt 1/3 cup butter and stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Place a spoonful of mix in bottom of the muffin cup.
Add muffin mix as normal.

Cheddar Muffins
Add 1/2 grated cheddar cheese to regular mix.
Needs to be served hot so papers are difficult to use.
Can spice with dill, garlic, or onion.

Corn Meal Muffins
Decrease mix to 1 3/4 cup and add 1/2 cup corn meal.
May need to add a little more liquid to make muffins moister.

To Add Any Dried Foods
Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup of chopped dried raisins, cranberries, cherries, or apricots to regular muffin mix.

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup soft butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup flour

Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then add butter. Connie says she does this in a gallon-size baggie and works it together with a rolling pin or her fingers. She says this is a low-mess way to make this so she doesn't have to clean her whole food processor. I say...."Whatever floats your muffin-making boat!" Fill muffin tins 1/2 full with regular muffin mix then add a teaspoon of streusel mix to the top of each. This makes them extra AMAZING! Try them yourself and let me know what you thought!