Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Last weekend I decided to make some blueberry muffins for our Sunday potluck at church. I have 20 blueberry bushes and this past summer during the peak of the season I know I baked over 500 muffins just by the number of muffin containers I went through. (By containers I mean that thing piece of paper that fits into the pan and the uncooked batter is poured into.) The point being is, I have baked muffins before. Not all of the blueberries I picked last summer found their way into muffins and others were frozen to be sprinkled on cereal, made into pies and mmmm – muffins.
Last summer, after a couple attempts trying several recipes I had settled on my new favorite and with the book open to the page “blueberry muffins” I began following the recipe. Oil, Eggs, Sugar, Flour, etc.

Hmm, “etc”…I will return to that.

I always double the recipe and depending how much batter I put into the liners I can usually get somewhere between 20 and 24 muffins into the two muffin tins that hold 12 each. On this evening I made 23. It usually takes a little over 20 minutes for them to bake but I check in a little before that and it was the first indication that something was wrong. They hadn’t begun to brown like they usually do. I chalked this up the oven not being preheated and my being anxious to get going popping them in before it was. Time’s up…still not browned…3 more minutes then 3 more and 2 more for good measure. I finally turned the oven off, opened the door and let them cool as I went off to watch TV.

Twenty minutes later it seemed like time to check the muffins. Hmm, not quite as big as they sometimes were, first bite and I knew something was wrong. I looked at the muffin, though a little more and suddenly realized that I had forgotten to add the baking powder. Baking powder which helps them to rise and be fluffy and not thick and chewy. The sweetness was there…the extra blueberries that I always add helped but just a little baking powder missing and they were a muffin disaster.

Had then been any kind of muffin other than made with my lovingly grown, hand-picked blueberries I might have tossed them. Instead, I made the decision to not take them to church on Sunday but to wait to take them to work on Monday. Meanwhile we ate a few of them and then a few more. Monday came and I forgot to take them to work (subconscious – perhaps). Tuesday, forgot again. Tuesday evening and I am looking at them thinking maybe they are getting a bit too old and too tired looking to take to work on Wednesday and there were only about 6 of them left anyway. What I am going to eat for supper? Muffins –mmm – no. Eggs, an omelet…yes….mmm- NO. Blender, eggs, muffins,,,,grind away (oh add a little baking powder)…turn on the fry pan. Muffin pancakes….not bad, as long as you add the appropriate amount of syrup.