With Love and Muffins,

Procrastination runs deep this morning.  I have a pile of work glaring at me, and so I avert my eyes to somewhere else.  Naturally, if I can’t see it, it doesn’t actually exist, right?  With my youngest battling a cold, complete with fever and a cough, I’ve determined that this fine 19 degree day would best be spent minding the needs of my youngest, infusing the house with the sweet smells of baked goods and O.K., perhaps tending the pile of work that I can feel staring at me from the other room.

And with this our morning begins, with muffins made from my tried and true all-things-muffin cookbook.  There are very few cookbooks that I use as religiously as this one but, Mad About the Muffins, is for me, the one to beat.   

My love for muffins goes way back to my childhood.  They were a treat on Saturday mornings when my Mom would make them.  She had many great recipes, too.  There is a zucchini muffin recipe that I remember her making that is sort of MIA and every once in a while I am reminded that we need to send out a search party for this recipe. 

Fast forward 20 years or so, I am now married.   We don’t have any children yet, and my husband and I have just purchased our first home.  As a teacher, I have my summers for my own volition, and some of those summer days I was greeted at the back door by my Dad, coming for a visit and a coffee.  Sometimes he’d bring muffins and coffee from a favorite local bakery, New Boston Bakery, and sometimes we would drive to the bakery to sit on their patio, among their expansive flower beds, and talk. 

Even after having my two boys, New Boston Bakery continued to be a destination to enjoy, first with their chubby toddler fingers pointing at the muffin they wanted and then as school boys asking for two muffins instead of one because they were just that hungry. 

Now, although I enjoy frequenting my favorite bakeries, I can’t deny that my own kitchen is on that list.  And, thanks to my favorite muffin cookbook, I can compete with the best of them (in my opinion, anyway).  If there is any way to get my boys to drop what they’re doing, whether it is playing with Legos or creating in Minecraft, it is by asking them to come and help me make some muffins. 

 

Today’s choice, based on ingredients on hand, were some particularly yummy Four Chip Muffins.   As always, I couldn’t just follow the recipe without tweaking it.  I didn’t have all four types of chips on hand, but I did have three.  I also didn’t have walnuts so I decided to add some cereal into the batter; a lovely limited edition brand of Special K, pictured above.  I'm not sure I would do this again.   The texture that the flakes assumed was somewhat unusual, to me, but no one else found it strange. 

And so, I feel, it is the humble muffin that deserves some thanks here today.  In all the ways a person can enjoy a muffin and for all the ingredients that can be added to a basic muffin recipe I am supremely thankful.  Because it is this food staple, that has shown me the way to countless moments of affection.

When no one wants cereal...

Come weekend or vacation, it's the question that never fails to be asked, "Momma, can you make something for breakfast?  I don't want cereal."  And, you know, I have no problem coming up with something to make. However, as the boys get older, I do agree with the Little Red Hen in that, should they ask for something special, then they should help make it. So with my youngest wielding the mixing spoon, and I doing the measuring, we set out to make some banana donuts. 

Simple moments like these, where I am paired up with one or both of my children to participate in a daily task, often offer glimpses into their mind as they discuss what they are thinking about at the time.  For instance, The word "batter" turned out to be an opener for a conversation.  Apparently, it is word that he really appreciates..."some words, Momma, are really nice to say...and 'batter' is one of them".  

Now, that our batter has baked, you can see that they have risen quite nicely and are a lovely caramel color.  To make these,  I made two changes to a banana muffin recipe that is generally foolproof as muffins.  I was hoping for equally foolproof donuts.  So far, so good.

I frosted them with a peanut butter frosting and then tried a few different toppings: mini chips, jimmies (sprinkles) and chocolate cookie crunch; kind of like the crunchiness you find in between the layers of a Carvel cake.  Of the three toppings, I have to say the cookie crunch was my personal favorite.

Of these last three pictures, I'm seeing them as potential photos to be developed into a Wayne Thiebaud inspired painting or drawing.  If you are not familiar with him, he is one of my favorite contemporary artists and is definitely worth checking out. 

In the end, I was very pleased with the adjustments I made to a muffin recipe found in the book, "Mad about Muffins".  The recipe, dubbed, "New England Banana", includes maple syrup in the batter.  Next time, I think I may forgo the peanut butter and chocolate and go with a maple frosting with toasted coconut.

If you would like the recipe, let me know by leaving a comment requesting it.