Do You Know the Muffin Man Segment
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Cheese, Bacon and Tomato Muffins
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Bake Time: 30 Minutes
Yield: 10
Ingredients
4 oz Bacon
10 oz. All-purpose flour
1 tbsp. Baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Salt
4 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved roasted in oven
2 tbsp Chives chopped
2 Eggs
1 Cup milk
3 oz Butter (unsalted) melted
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases or greaseproof paper.
2. Grill the bacon until crispy and chop into pieces. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.
3. Stir the sugar, salt and 3/4 of the cheese, bacon, tomatoes and chives into the flour mixture and mix well.
4. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and melted butter and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, the batter will be lumpy. Fill the muffin cases and sprinkle the tops with the reserved cheese.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and firm. Delicious eaten warm or cold.
Spiced brown sugar butter with pecans
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Directions
1. Add all ingredients to a large glass or steel mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat all ingredients until well incorporated and fluffy. (If you do not have an electric hand mixer, you can do this by hand using a strong spoon, it will just take a bit more work.)
2. Place a medium-size piece of plastic wrap onto a clean, flat surface. Using silicone spatulas, gather the butter together in the bowl, then spoon the butter mixture out of the bowl and onto the center of the plastic wrap.
3. Grabbing the bottom portion of the plastic wrap, pull it up over the butter and begin forming the wrap around the butter, rolling and forming a log shape. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap and place butter in the fridge to set.
Strawberry Butter
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hulled and coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
Directions
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light about 1 minute. Add strawberries and beat until combined, but not totally uniform.
2. Transfer to ramekins or small serving dishes. Chill until ready to serve, or transfer to 2 sheets of plastic wrap, roll each into log, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw before using.
3. Serve at room temperature.
Basic Muffin (base)
Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix-ins (see variations; optional)
2 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lower third. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan,
tapping out excess. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; make a well in the center. Add egg mixture to well. With a rubber spatula, gently stir ingredients just until batter is moistened (do not overmix; a few lumps are fine). Add mix-ins, if desired.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen muffins, and tip them on their sides to cool in pan. Serve warm or at room temperature (muffins are best the day they are made).
Variations
Corn
In Step 2, reduce flour to 1 cup, and add 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal.
Bran-Raisin
In Step 2, reduce flour to 1 1/2 cups, and add 1 cup bran and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; replace butter with 3/4 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower). At the end of Step 2, fold 3/4 cup raisins into batter.
Chocolate-Chip
At the end of Step 2, fold 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips into batter.
Blueberry
At the end of Step 2, fold 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) into batter.
Cherry-Pecan
At the end of Step 2, fold 3/4 cup chopped pecans and 3/4 cup dried cherries into batter.
