86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 1995
Muffins
For Every Taste
Muffins can be as dressed up or
as plain as the multi-varied tastes
of thousands of consumers. Some
muffins are as sweet and rich as
cupcakes while others are plain,
heavy and similar to bran breads.
Muffins have enjoyed the popu
larity of being considered a health
ful food. But some of those touted
as a healthy choices are far from
healthful if you are watching fat
and sugar. Many bran muffins sold
in supermarkets and restaurants
have as many as 19 grams of fat. Of
course, if only flavor and not fat
and sugar is of any concern to you,
you may indulge in those muffins
calorie-laden muffins and be per
fectly content
Making your own muffins
offers more control over what goes
into them. If you are reducing fat
and sugar in your diet experiment
with modifying recipes. Replace
oil and shortening with an equal
measurement of mashed banana,
applesauce, yogurt or pureed
pumpkin. This change usually
results in moist muffins, but they
may be more difficult to remove
from muffin tins. Make sure you
spray the tins with vegetable spray
before filling with batter.
Sugar, too, may often be
reduced with no ill effects. Substi
tute two egg whites for every
whole egg listed in a recipe.
Modifying a recipe may require
several trial and error batches to
come up with the right proportions
for your qualifications.
Muffins are great for snacks,
breakfast on the run, as a bread to
complement a meal or as an after
dinner dessert. The following
recipes have been tested by our
readers and received an excellent
rating.
BRAN MUFFINS
VA cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Little or no salt
'A cup sugar
VA cups milk
1 egg
'A cup vegetable oil
1 cup wheat bran
'A cup molasses
V* cup shredded carrots (pre
vents dryness and crumbling)
'A cup raisins
Mix altogether. Fill muffin pans
half to three-fourths full. Bake at
350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Fern Schlegel
Dalmatia
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please
share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that
you include accurate measurements, a complete list of
ingredients and clear instructions with each recipe you sub
mit. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farm
ing, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should
reach our office one week before publishing date.
March 18- Barley & Other Grains
25- Lentils, Dried Beans
April '1- Recipes Using Nuts
8- Easter Candy
PEACH MUFFINS
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
8 teaspoons baking powder
l'/i teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk
'/i cup vegetable oil
2 cups fresh peaches, chopped
Sugar
Sift together flour, sugar, baking
powder and salt In a separate
bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil.
Add the dry ingredients and mix
until moistened. Add peaches.
Pour into well greased muffin cups
and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in
400 degree oven for 20 to 25
minutes. Makes 2 dozen medium
muffins and 12 Texas muffins.
Note. You may substitute apples
or cranberries in place of peaches.
With the apple muffins, sprinkle
with a mixture of cinnamon and
sugar. With the cranberries, add 1
teaspoon orange zest in the batter
and sprinkle with sugar.
These are very good and easy to
make.
Mrs. Anthony Hathaway
Pittsdown
GOOD MORNING MUFFINS
VA cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oats, quick or old
fashioned, uncooked
'A cup firmly packed brown
sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
A teaspoon baking soda
'A teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
'A cup raisins
7-ounce can crushed pineapple
in juice, undrained
'A cup shredded carrots
'A cup milk
A cup vegetable oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper
baking cups or lightly grease bot
toms only. Combine dry ingre
dients including raisins. Add com
bined pineapple including juice,
carrots, milk, oil, and egg; mix
until just moistened. Fill muffin
cups almost full. Bake 20 to 22
minutes or until golden brown. Let
muffins stand a few minutes;
remove from pan. Cool on wire
rack.
Optional glaze:
'A cup confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk
Combine sugar and milk;
drizzle over muffins.
Mrs. Anthony Hathaway
Pittstown
Muffins are great for breakfast on the run, with a meal, a snack or dessert. Almost
any flavor and taste Imaginable Is possible If you are a creative cook.
SWEET CORN MUFFINS
% cup yellow commeal
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
'/i cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
'/ cup finely chopped green
onion (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease muffin cups. Combine
dry ingredients. Add eggs, sour
cream, milk, butter and onions.
Mix until blended. Fill muffin cups
three-fourth full. Bake 20 minutes
or until golden brown.
Patty Ashton
Schellsburg
CRANBERRY MUFFINS
V* cup coarsely chopped
cranberries
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
'/> cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups flour
'/«cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
/j teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
V* cup milk
'A cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease muffin cups or use paper
baking cups. Mix cranberries with
orange rind and sugar. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, baking
powder, and salt. Mix milk, butter,
and egg. Add to dry ingredients.
Stir until well blended.
fold in cranberries and fill muf
fin cups three-fourth full. Bake
about 20 minutes. Cool.
Patty Ashton
Scheelsburg
MAPLE BRAN MUFFINS
V* cup natural wheat bran
'A cup milk
‘/j cup maple syrup
1 egg, slightly beaten
l A cup vegetable oil
I'/ cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
'A teaspoon salt
'/] cup chopped walnuts
Glaze:
1 tablespoon butter
'A cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Featured Recipe
Contrary to popular belief, pasta is not fattening. One cup of spagh
etti contains about2oocalories. It is the rich sauces that make it high in
calories and fat A tomato-based sauce is less fattening than a cream or
cheese sauce.
There are more than 600 different shapes of pasta. Many types of
pasta are interchangeable but some are more suited to particular sauces
than others.
For example, delicate noodles are compatible with cream sauces,
but spaghetti is usually enhanced by heavier sauces. Several prepara
tions are made with very large pastas such as manicotti and giant
shells, but they are not as good with seafood as smaller types.
Here is an elegant recipe combining seafood and pasta.
PASTA WITH SEAFOOD SAUCE
8 ounces pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or angel hair)
1 pound assorted seafood
Tomato mixture:
1 pound tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
'A teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
Assorted may include shrimp, crab meat, scallops, clams, mussels,
lobster, flaked fish and calamari. (If seafood is raw, cook with tomato
mixture. If seafood is cooked, add it to mixture at last minute to heat).
Boil pasta in large quantity of water until al dente. Drain well. Saute
tomato mixture. Add seafood, then quickly toss with pasta. Serves 6.
Combine bran, milk, and maple
syrup. Mix in egg and oil. Com
bine remaining muffin ingredients.
Add bran mixture, stirring until
just moistened. Divide batter into
12 greased muffin tins. Bake at
400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
Glaze: Combine ingredients,
stirring to blend, and spread over
warm muffins.
R. Leinbach
Leola
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