5 things to know about making muffins

I need muffins to exist. Just like I need tea and accessories, I need MUFFINS in my life. Just substitute them for water! I enjoy making ‘em and even more I love eating ‘em! There are so many people I’ve talked to that have never attempted muffin-making! WHAT in the world??? It’s like the funnest & easiest thing to bake and there are endless possibilities. I’m here to help cause aside from being the devil (when you taste these-you’ll be cursing me and you’ll understand), here are 5 things to know about making muffins and then you’re gonna replace them for your water intake & you’ll be making them often!

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And don’t judge~ I don’t care if it’s almost March and I’m still ravishing pumpkin. Pumpkin is like the color black (to me). It never goes out of season and you can dress it up or down and either way, it’s fab! Am I right?

Well, really my freezer is just full of pumpkin (like I have after every Fall), and then I can be crazy creative with pumpkin dishes throughout the year.

This is my very favorite pumpkin muffin recipe. What makes these so amazing are the ingredients.  Starting with the fresh pumpkin (canned will do but use organic not the artificial kind), the vanilla bean paste, and the combination of spices.  Vanilla bean paste, have you ever used it?  Cause if you love vanilla-take the DIVE!  It’s so worth it!!!  I also love using silicone baking cups cause of their ease in popping out and baking muffins or cupcakes to perfection.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can also swap out the pumpkin with other fruits.  I’ve used equal amounts of applesauce in place and removed the pumpkin spice and double up on the cinnamon.  They’re equally delicious!

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If you’ve never attempted muffin-making, here are your five tips on being successful on your muffin attempts.

5 things to know about making muffins

1.  Don’t over stir!!! Don’t feel like you have to beat the dickens out of the batter, cause that will cause your muffins to be dense, heavy, and tough. My tip: just mix gently until most of the batter and ingredients are incorporated but not totally mixed.
2. Muffins freeze well. If you have a busy lifestyle and feel like most of the time you are running out the door empty handed. No breakfast, no quick snack. Muffins are a great treat to just grab out of the freezer and have ready to-go! They thaw quickly (I’m not a fan of microwaves but some do thaw out in the micro).
3. Don’t over-bake! Again if you don’t want tough/dried out muffins, be sure to pull them out when testing with a toothpick or just until tops are lightly browned. They will be moist and perfect!
4. If you’re going to add fresh fruit to your muffins, do so at the very end and gently toss them and combine but not stirred and mixed. (Remember gentle!!!) Blueberries are one of my favorite ingredients to add but I usually toss them in a bit of flour before tossing in the mixture. It helps keep them from bleeding all over and they stay in tact until baking.
5. Make them BIG! Fill your muffin cups 2/3 or slightly more for big, bakery style muffins. Just modify baking times and keep an eye on them while baking.
   That’s all you really need to know about baking muffins. Next thing you know, you’ll be trying different varieties and baking them often.

I love that I can make two or more different varieties and freeze them to have on hand. Muffins can be a busy soccer, baseball momma’s best friend! On those terribly crazy-busy, run-out-the-door kinda days, you can just grab them and go!  The whole family will love them.

There you have it. 5 things to know about making muffins and you can be on your way to making the best muffins ever!

I hope you enjoy this casa GCC favorite!