Stephanie Alexander's Basic Muffin Recipe

This is my most used muffin recipe and I have passed it on to so many people that I would like to share it with the whole wide web.  The basic recipe is by Stephanie Alexander and can be adapted very easily. I have successfully made this recipe into mini muffins, texas muffins and cakes as well.

Preheat the oven to 170 deg Celsius. Line muffin tins with paper cases, or grease the holes as necessary.  I use silicone muffin trays which require neither.

Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar

Take a large measuring jug and measure in the following:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (do not use olive oil)
• 3/4 cup milk ( I pour the milk over the measure of oil until it reads 1 1/2 cups total)
• 1 egg

Mix the oil, milk and egg together until combined.  Stir the oil mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined and spoon into muffin tins.  Bake for 15-20 mins for standard 1/3c muffins until they spring back when lightly pressed.  As these are very tender muffins, leave them to cool before unmoulding from the silicon trays.

Yield: 12 - 16 regular 1/3c muffins, approx 32 mini muffins, 1 ring pan or other medium cake tin.

My Variations:

Any dry ingredients are to be added with the other dry ingredients, any wet ingredients should be added to the oil mixture or stirred through at the end.

Banana:  Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients and add 2 mashed ripe bananas with the oil mixture.

Apple Walnut: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients and 1-2 grated apples with the oil mixture.

Lemon Poppyseed: Add 1 tbsp poppy seeds to dry ingredients and the rind and juice of a lemon with the oil mixture.  Also good with oranges.

Mixed Berry and white choc: Add 1/2 cup chopped white choc to dry ingredients and 1 cup berries with the oil mixture.

Hummingbird: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to dry ingredients and 2 mashed ripe bananas and 100g (approx 1/3 cup) chopped glace pineapple with the oil mixture.

Apricot Cardamon: Add 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/8 tsp of cardamon to the dry ingredients.  NB Do not use too much cardamon, it is a very intense flavour.

Choc chip: Add 1/2 cup choc chips to the dry ingredients and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the oil mixture.

Carrot: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients and 1-2 grated carrots with the oil mixture.

Spice muffins: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg to the dry ingredients.

Coffee: Dissolve 2 tbsp of instant coffee in 2 tbsp of hot water and add to the oil mixture.

Jam: After spooning basic mixture into muffin holes, dollop 1/2 tsp of jam on the top before baking.

Chocolate: Use 1/2 cup brown sugar and add 2 tbsp cocoa to the dry ingredients and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to the oil mixture.

As you can see, use whatever you have on hand.  They are best eaten on the day they are made, but do freeze well, so fresh muffins are always close at hand.  

The only questions that remains................ to ice or not to ice?

Happy baking,