Muffins Basic Recipe With Assortment

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups all purpose  flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400*

Grease bottoms only of about 12 medium muffins cups, 2 ½ X 1 ¼ inches: or use paper liners

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg, stir in milk and oil. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fill muffin cups about ¾ full.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Immediately remove from pan.

*Apple-nut muffins: Stir in 1 medium apple, pared and chopped, with the milk and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon with the flour. Substitute packed brown sugar for the granulated sugar. Sprinkle tops with mixture of ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup chopped nuts and ½ teaspoon cinnamon before baking.

*Banana Muffins: Decrease milk to 1/3 cup; stir in 1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 medium) with the milk. Substitute packed brown sugar for the sugar.

*Blueberry Muffin: Stir in 1cup fresh or ½ cup frozen blueberries (thawed and well drained) with the milk.

*Buttermilk Muffins: Substitute buttermilk for the milk. Decrease baking powder to 2 teaspoons and stir in ½ teaspoon baking soda with the flour.

*Cranberry-Orange Muffins: Stir in 1 cup cranberry halves and 1 tablespoon grated orange peel with the milk. Sprinkle tops with sugar before baking.

*Date-Nut Muffins: Stir in ½ cup cut-up pitted dates and 1/3 cup chopped nuts with the milk.

*French Puffs:  Immediately roll hot muffins in about ½ cup margarine or butter, melted, then in mixture of ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

*Granola Muffins:  Decrease milk to ½ cup, flour to 1 cup and sugar to 3 tablespoons. Stir in 2 cups granola with the flour. Do not reheat in microwave.

*Honey Muffins: Substitute honey for the sugar; stir in honey and 2 tablespoons grated orange peel with the milk. Spoon 1 teaspoon orange marmalade onto batter in each cup before baking.

*Molasses-Bran Muffins: Pour the milk on 1½ cups whole bran cereal; let stand 1 minute. Stir in with the oil. Decrease flour to 1¼ cups and substitute molasses for the sugar.

*Oatmeal-Raisin Muffins: Stir in 1 cup raisins with the milk. Decrease flour to 1 cup; stir in 1 cup quick-cooking oats, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon with the flour.

*Prune-Apricot Muffins: Stir in ½ cup cut-up-dried prunes and ½ cup cut-up dried apricots with the milk.

*Pumpkin Muffins: do not use whole-wheat flour. Stir in ½ cup pumpkin and ½ cup raisins with the milk and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice with the flour. Sprinkle tops with sugar before baking if desired.

*Surprise Muffins: Fill muffin ups about half full. Spoon 1 teaspoon strawberry jam onto batter in each cup; top with enough batter to fill cups about ¾ full.