The Muffin Blues

It has been so long since I have had a blueberry muffin! So when I found the muffin section in The Gluten-Free-Gourmet Bakes Bread I immediately set out to make up a batch of dry mix to keep on hand, and then I made two dozen muffins the very same day. Once you have the 10 ingredient dry mix all measured out, making the 7 variations listed in the book only requires the addition of an egg, oil/butter, a liquid & your "extras."

Minute Muffin Mix

Ingredients for 6-cups of mix (6 batches)

1 1/2 c Garfava bean flour

1/2 c Sorghum flour

2 c Arrowroot or Cornstarch

2 c Tapioca flour

2 1/2 tsp Baking soda

3 Tbsp Baking powder (Gluten-free)

2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Egg replacer

2/3 c sugar

1 Tbsp powdered vanilla (I had this on hand from past camping trips!)

To make 12 plain muffins, preheat oven to 375'F. Place 2 cups mix in a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, beat together 2 eggs plus 2 egg whites, 4 Tbsp oil or melted butter, 1 c buttermilk/soy milk/fruit juice. Pour wet into dry ingredients & beat until smooth. Spoon into 12 well greased muffin tins, or non-stick sprayed paper liners. Bake 15 min. or until done when tested with toothpick.

I found out the hard way that the 2 Gluten-Free muffin recipes I have tried tend to stick to the sprayed paper liners something fierce. So I suggest you spray liberally and wait until they are completely cooled to take them out.

I should try to make them in greased muffin tins, sans liners, but that is a nightmare for another day....if they stick as badly as they do to the paper!

I once made GF waffles....I pretty much ruined my waffle iron. I tried it 3 times, but I had to literally scrape them off with a knife. I had been brushing the iron with canola oil. Then I tried it with butter, and all was fine. SOOOOO....I would try buttering the muffin tins before I ever oiled them! Who has time to de-muffin 12 crusty cups??? No one!

The other Muffin Variations are as follows:

Nut or Fruit Muffins

-Add 4 Tbsp raisins, nuts, mashed banana, chopped dates or grated apple.

Lemon Muffins

-Add 2 Tbsp lemon zest to dry ingredients & substitute 3 Tbsp of the liquid with fresh lemon juice.

Blueberry Muffins

-Add 4 Tbsp frozen blueberries to the dry ingredients. (It DOES sound like a small amount, and YES, I did add more myself, but I do believe that this may have made them too moist and I had to cook them quite a bit longer.)

Almond Banana Muffins

-Add 2 Tbsp almond meal to dry ingr. Use water as the liquid, & after beating the mix, fold in 1 banana chopped.

Apple-Spice Muffins

-Add 1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice to dry ingr. Use apple juice as liquid, & after mixing, fold in 2 Tbsp chopped apple.

Apple-Pecan Muffins

-Add 4 Tbsp almond meal and 4 Tbsp chopped pecans to dry ingr. Use apple juice for liquid.

I keep but 1 or 2 out for my morning tea snack, and I freeze the rest in bags. I have about a 2 weeks' supply now, but after reading all of these variations I can't wait to get baking again!!! The dry mix IS ready and just sitting there waiting for me....It is a good and easy project to involve a toddler in, too. Enjoy.