Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine (not spread), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Variations:
- Chocolate cinnamon:
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 oz. light cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Apple almond:
- 1 can (8 oz.) or 1 roll (7 oz.) almond paste
- 1 cup chopped apple
- 2 thin slices apple per muffin
- 2 Tbsp. warmed honey
- Cranberry:
- 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
- Spicy Mincemeat:
- 1 cup mincemeat
- 1/4 tsp. all-spice
- Pumpkin Streusel:
- 2/3 cup solid-pack pumpkin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. molasses
- 1 tsp. pumpkin-pie spice
- 3 Tbsp cold butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- Cranberry Upside Downs:
- 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 pecan half per muffin
Directions
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Have ingredients for variations you choose ready.
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Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease (or line with paper baking cups) 12 regular size or 24 mini-muffin cups.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, baking powder and salt until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Gently stir (fold) in flour alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, until well blended.
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Follow the directions for the variation you’ve chosen and divide the batter among the muffin cups.
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Bake 17 to 20 minutes for the regular-size and 14 to 16 for the mini, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
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Chocolate Cinnamon:
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Add cinnamon to the flour in Basic Batter. Stir in melted chocolate chips after flour. Divide among muffin cups. Cut up cream cheese and press into batter. Sprinkle with sugar mixed with cinnamon. Bake as above.
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Apple Almond:
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Crumble almond paste on top of Basic Batter and stir in with chopped apple. Divide among muffin cups and top each with the 2 apple slices (or 1 slice halved for minis). Bake as above. Brush tops with warmed honey.
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Cranberry:
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Mix cranberry sauce, chopped pecans, sugar and nutmeg into Basic Batter.
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Spicy Mincemeat:
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Stir mincemeat and all-spice into Basic Batter. Divide among muffin cups. Bake as above.
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Pumpkin Streusel:
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Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin-pie spice into Basic Batter. Divide among muffin cups. Top with crumbly mix of cold butter, flour, brown sugar and chopped pecans. Bake as above.
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Cranberry Upside Downs:
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Thoroughly grease muffin cups (do not line). Mix cranberry sauce, chopped pecans, sugar and nutmeg. Divide among muffin cups. Press 1 pecan half into center. Spread Basic batter gently over cranberries. Bake as above. Cool in pan 15 minutes.