Country Style Muffins

How to make Country Style Muffins Recipe - Today, muffins range in size from miniatures to giant ones that could serve three persons.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup softened butter or vegetable shortening
l egg
1 cup milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 400F (205C).

Grease 12 medium-sized muffin cups or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter or shortening, egg and milk. Stir with a fork just until ingredients are blended.

Fill prepared muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve hot with butter, jam, marmalade, honey or other favorite spread.

Variations
Whole-Wheat Muffins:
Substitute 1 cup whole-wheat flour for 1 cup all-purpose flour. Use only 2 teaspoons baking powder. Bake as above.

Sour-Cream Muffins:
Use only 2 teaspoons baking powder and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Substitute dairy sour cream for milk. Bake as above.

Blueberry Muffins:
Add additional 2 tablespoons sugar. When all ingredients are blended, carefully fold in 1 cup fresh or partially thawed frozen blueberries. Bake as above.

Honey-Orange Muffins:
Use 2 eggs. Place in bottom of each muffin cup, 1 teaspoon honey and 1 thin slice unpeeled orange cut into quarters. Spoon batter on top. Bake as above.

Apple Muffins:
Use 1/2 cup sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to flour mixture. Add 1 cup shredded, raw, tart apple along with butter or shortening. Sprinkle top of batter in cups with a mixture of 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Bake as above.

Date & Nut Muffins:
Add 1 cup each finely chopped dates and finely chopped walnuts or pecans to flour mixture before adding liquid. Bake as above.