Sweet and Rich Muffins
MAKES: 8 large or 12 medium muffins
TIME: About 40 minutes
These muffins have more butter, eggs, and sugar than the classic muffin. Any of the flavor variations for Muffins, Infinite Ways or the suggestions listed in 12 Additions to Virtually Any Quick Bread, Muffin, Biscuit, or Scone will work here. The results will be more like mini-cakes.
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter at room temperature, plus butter the pan
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk, plus more as needed
Preheat the oven to 400В°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper or foil muffin cups if you like.
Use a wooden spoon or an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Mix the salt, baking powder, and flour together; beat the eggs with the milk.
Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, then moisten with a little of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill the cups almost to the top. Pour 1/4 cup water into those cups left empty.) Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of them comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.
