muffins: always a good idea

You know what's almost as good as soup?? MUFFINS. Well, actually, if we're going for the anything-other-than-mealtime category, muffins always win for me. Okay fine, they encroach the breakfast category too. They are better than cakes, cookies, bars, probably even ice cream if you ask me. The thing is, I sometimes forget how easy it is to throw a batch together (they do call them quick breads for a reason!). I made these on a whim one chilly night, and was pretty stoked to pack one up in the morning as my afternoon snack at work. They taste a lot like bran muffins, which is great, because I looove bran muffins. I think next time I'll throw in some frozen corn too, just to vary the texture a bit.

Also, check out how freaking photogenic these puppies are, even with my severely lacking photography skills:

Corn & Molasses Muffins

(a wee bit tweaked, from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by Mollie Katzen)

Ingredients:

butter or Pam (if muffin pan is non-stick)

1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour

1/2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. yellow corn meal

1 1/2 c. milk (I used whole)

1 egg

5 T. melted no-salt butter

4 T. blackstrap molasses

3 T. brown sugar

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

dash cloves

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, if need be.

2. Combine flour, soda, powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the corn meal, and make a well in the center.

3. In a separate container, beat together the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir just enough to combine thoroughly.

4. Fill the muffin cups just up to the edge of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan right away, and cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before eating.