Contributed by Angie Cleveland

I used to have a difficult time baking muffins. As much as I love them, I always stirred the batter too many times. Exactly how many times is “just until moist”? I could never figure it out. Despite this problem, I continued to make them. Muffins are a delicious way to provide you and your loved ones with nuts, whole grains, and fruit. However, they can also provide a high dose of fat, sugar, and calories. But as with most high-fat dishes, there are many low-fat/healthy recipes available that are as delicious as their fatty counterparts.

Over the years, I have learned several tricks to making muffins. The first is to measure exactly. Use a straight-edged spatula or knife to level off the dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients, place the measuring cup on the counter and read it from eye level.

Another tricky feat is to get all of the honey or molasses out of the measuring spoon. If the recipe calls for oil or butter, measure them with the spoon first. Then measure the sticky ingredients using the same spoon. If the recipes don’t call for oil or butter, use a non-stick spray on the spoon.

As for mixing, the magic number of strokes is 20. Over-mixing causes the gluten in the flour to develop and causes large bubbles in the batter, which results in tough muffins

Baking the muffins can be problematic also. Most muffin tins hold ˝ C of batter. Using an ice-cream scoop or measuring cup for each one will result in equally sized muffins that require the same amount of time to bake. Low fat muffins have a tendency to dry out, so keep your eye on them. They also have a tendency to stick to muffin liners. If this happens, try making the muffins without the liners and use non-stick spray in the tins or even in the paper liners.

Ingredients

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Instructions

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