Basic Muffins

Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a 400 oven. GRAIN: Use 2 to 2 1/2 cups of white flour. Or substitute oatmeal, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, rye flour, or flake cereal for 1 cup of the white flour. Or substitue 1 cup leftover cooked oatmeal, rice or cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the white flour and decrease liquid to 1/2 cup. MILK: Use 1 cup. Or substitute buttermilk or sour milk. Or substitute fruit juice for part or all of the milk. FAT: Use 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine. Or substitute regular or crunch peanut butter for part or all of the fat. The fat can be reduced or omitted with fair results if using a wet addition. EGG: Use 1 egg. Or substitute 1 heaping Tbsp of soy flour and 1 Tbsp of water. If using a cooked grain, separate the egg, add the yolk to the batter, beat white until stiff, and fold into the batter. SWEETENER: Use between 2 Tbsp and 1/2 cup sugar. Or substitute up to 3/4 cup brown sugar. Or up to 1/2 cup honey or molasses and decrease milk to 3/4 cup. BAKING POWDER: Use 2 tsp. If using whole or cooked grains or more than 1 cup additions, increase to 3 tsp. If using buttermilk or sourmilk, decrease to 1 tsp and add 1/2 tsp baking soda. SALT: Use 1/2 tsp, or omit if you have a salt-restricted diet. The following ingredients are optional. Additions can be used in any combination, up to 1 1/2 cups total. If using more than 1 cup of wet additions, decrease the milk to 1/2 cup. Dry additions: Nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, and so on. Moist additons: Blueberries, chopped apple, shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, and so on. Wet additions: Pumpkin puree, applesauce, mashed potato, mashed bananas, mashed carrot, and so on. If using 1/2 cup drained canned fruit or thawed shredded zucchini, substitute the syrup or zucchini liquid for all or part of the milk. Spices: Use spices that completment the additions, such as 1 tsp cinnnamon with 1/4 tsp nutmeg or cloves. Try 2 tsp grated orange or lemon peel. Jellies and jam: Fill cups half full with a plain batter. Add 1 tsp jam or jelly and top with 2 more Tbsp batter. Nonsweet combinations: Use only 2 Tbsp sugar and no fruit. Add combinations of the following: 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 2 strips fried and crumbled bacon, 2 Tbsp grated onion, 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese. Spices could include parsley, marjoram, rosemary... Hawaiian Muffins: Use 1/2 cup mashed banana, 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple, and 1/2 cup flake coconut, and 1 Tbsp vanilla or rum flavoring. Use the pineapple juice instead of milk. Cherry Vanilla Chip Muffins: 3/4 cup pitted chopped cherries, 3/4 cup vanilla chips, 1 tsp vanilla. Elvis Muffins: Use about 3/4 to 1 cup mashed banana, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts or walnuts (any nut). And substitute 1/4 peanut butter for the oil.