The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Basic Muffins with Variations

5.00 Mitt(s) 5 Rating(s)5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 55 votes, average: 5.00 out of 55 votes, average: 5.00 out of 55 votes, average: 5.00 out of 55 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

I worked in a bakery and we made dozens of these moist muffins in different flavors every day. You can add any fruit you like to the basic batter. Our favorites are blueberry, banana nut, pina colada and pumpkin.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • 1 whole Egg
  • ¾ cups Milk (or As Needed)
  • ⅜ cups Oil (that Is 1/4 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons)
  • 1 cup Any Optional Additional Ingredients

Preparation

Stir together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and any optional ingredients and stir just until moistened. (Adjust amount of milk depending on how moist your add-ins are – add less milk for moist things like banana, crushed pineapple, or pumpkin and add a bit more if needed for dried fruits.) Scoop into greased muffins tins (an ice cream scoop works well for this), sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

You can mix up a large batch of the basic dry mix (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) and store in a sealed container in your pantry. To have fresh muffins in the morning, stir the mix and measure out 3 cups of mix for one dozen muffins, add the wet ingredients and the optional ingredients and bake. Or, for a large group, make a large batch of the basic mix and make one dozen each of a variety of flavors with a lot less work.

NOTES : Variations:

1) Banana Nut – add 1 cup mashed bananas and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

2) Blueberry – add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

3) Pina Colada – add 1 small can drained crushed pineapple (8 ounces) and 1/2 cup coconut.

4) Apple Spice – add 1 peeled chopped apple, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a dash nutmeg.

5) Coffee Walnut – add 1 teaspoon coffee extract and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts.

6) Pumpkin Spice – add 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spices, 1/2 cup nuts.

7) Mincemeat – add 1 cup prepared mincemeat and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

8 ) Date Nut – add 1 cup chopped dates and 1/2 cup nuts.

9) Cranberry – add 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup nuts, 1 teaspoon orange rind.

10) Chocolate chip – add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, nuts if desired.

11) Cherry Almond – add 1 cup chopped dried cherries and 1/2 cup toasted flaked almonds.

12) Chocolate chocolate chip – add 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup or more chocolate chips.

13) Anything else you can think up. Adjust amount of milk in batter depending on the moistness of the added ingredients.

12 Comments

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Serene on 3.10.2014

Oh my goodness! Can’t wait to try this out!!! xD

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kellyinmn on 1.7.2011

I just made these using frozen raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. They are FABULOUS! I can’t wait to try other versions of these muffins. Thanks for the recipe!

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jencooksalot on 1.5.2010

This is a great recipe! I made the chocolate chip version, which got rave reviews from the family. I am definitely going to try other add-ins!

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leeandjohn on 12.9.2009

This is a great basic muffin recipe. I have made these many times with different variations. I found if I add more oil to muffins with dry ingredients(cocoa) they are perfect. I have tried blueberry, apple cinnamon, chocolate, pumpkin and banana. If you play with the wet ingredients and you add additional amounts of flavorings(extra chocolate powder and pieces, banana, etc) you will be happy.

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rette5991 on 11.14.2009

These are excellent! Nice and moist. I love the fact that theres a ton of variations. Thanks!

5 Reviews

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Kelly on 11.6.2017

I love how easy this recipe is!

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Kathy N. on 8.18.2013

Wonderful, fool-proof recipe! I use it all the time – thank you so much for posting it.

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corricky on 4.9.2011

I made the banana nut variation..SO good! Best banana muffin recipe I have ever made.

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kerryj on 8.25.2010

This is a great basic muffin recipe. I’ve made these many times with different additions, and they always turn out great. The recipe is great as written, but I made some changes to make it a little healthier and less sweet. I use 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup, and substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 1/2 cup of the milk. One of my favorite variations is Orange Walnut Chocolate Chip. Add the zest and juice of one orange, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon / sugar mixture before baking. The recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I always fill my muffin tins to the top, giving me 8 larger muffins.

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alittlenosh on 6.30.2010

What a great go-to recipe! I added one thawed frozen banana and about a 1/2 cup of fresh frozen blueberries. Sprinkled some sugar on top and they turned out fantastic!

I wasn’t sure what the consistency was supposed to be but mine was similar to pancake batter.

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