Muffins For Breakfast

This week, I'm exploring recipes from Food Editor's Favorites: Treasured Recipes. I really wanted to make something this week that would help me not go through a drive-thru for breakfast before work. The Ice Box English Tea Muffins on page 126 sounded perfect.

Most muffin recipes are virtually foolproof. This was no exception, although the topping might have tripped up a beginning baker. With the oven preheating to 350, I gathered my ingredients and made the topping of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and set aside.

Topping

I mixed the remaining ingredients: sugar, butter, an egg, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour. The recipe suggested using a cup of milk; I didn't have any, however, I did have leftover heavy whipping cream. I also substituted a combination of golden raisins and dried blueberries for the 3/4 cup raisins.

Dried Blueberries, Golden Raisins, Creamy Batter

I used a large soup spoon to drop batter into the muffin pan...

and generously covered with topping.

The muffins went into the oven for 20 minutes or so. And came out of the oven nothing but yummy.

These are great muffins to add into your baking repertoire. Fresh out of the oven, these were so utterly moist and crumbly I couldn't stop from eating a couple. The addition of whipping cream and the brown sugary topping reminded me of crème brûlée and mom's coffee cake. I definitely had these several mornings, and am sure they'd work well for an afternoon coffee break, too. 


Ice Box English Tea Muffins
from Treasured Recipes: Food Editor's Favorites, page 126
Submitted by Donna Morgan of the Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City, UT


Morgan wrote, "This is an old family recipe we treasure." (Make them and you'll see why!)



FOR THE MUFFIN:
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup raisins


FOR THE TOPPING: 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and butter. Add beaten egg; blend well. Combine salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Stir in raisins.Topping: Thoroughly combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts.Spoon batter into greased muffin cups and sprinkle on topping. Bake 20 minutes, or until done.Note: If not using batter immediately, cover tightly and store in refrigerator until needed. Batter will keep 3-4 weeks. Makes 1 dozen muffins.