Exquisite Muffins Recipe

The American Muffin is like the French Madeleine: the shape doesn't make the cake. With this recipe, I don't follow the tradition of mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ones. I prepare the dough differently in order to guarantee a soft, airy and moist crumb while having a lot of taste. The result is an exquisite and remarkable cake. Above all, make the streusel at the top, it is an absolute must! I have perfected this personal recipe with great care and many tests until I was completely satisfied.

You thought you knew this familiar recipe and its typical taste? Rediscover this great classic as if it were the first time. The muffins are excellent and of superior quality. Guaranteed success among gourmets. Everything is detailed so that you can make them right on the first try.

Muffin batter:
• 200 g all-purpose wheat flour T65 type,
• 120 g blond cane sugar to be ground into icing sugar (about 45 seconds in a blender/chopper),
• 100 g quality butter with taste, at room temperature and soft (having the consistency of an ointment),
• 120 g fermented milk (ribot, buttermilk, elben… or mix 1/3 of milk and 2/3 of yoghurt or cottage cheese),
• 110 g eggs (2 large eggs),
• 60 g sweet liquid honey neutral in taste,
• 8 g vegetable oil neutral in taste,
• 6 g baking powder (1/2 bag),
• 4 g (1 teaspoon) powdered vanilla or 12 ml (3/4 tablespoon) natural liquid vanilla extract or a vanilla bean.
Streusel:
• 40 g flour (or 27 g flour and 13 g hazelnut powder),
• 27 g caster sugar,
• 27 g cold butter,
• optional: 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon (1-2 g) of ground cinnamon or spices.

The choice of flavour:

• best choice: 200 g of cherries, fresh or frozen black or red berry fruits (blueberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, raspberry, blackberry…), no preserves;
• lemon flavouring, mix the zest of a whole lemon (10 to 15 g) with icing sugar until moist with a strong lemon flavour and reduce the juice by half in a saucepan over medium heat;
• 3 to 5 g ground cinnamon or 4 spices;
• candied orange or lemon peel;
• a filling of jam, chocolate cream or chestnut (fill a 3/4 mould with batter, 1 teaspoon of jam and cover with the rest of the batter);
• 100 g walnuts to be cut with a knife into small pieces of about 7 mm, slivered almonds, chocolate chips, hazelnut chips. Half of the wheat flour can be replaced by chestnut, maize, whole wheat, hazelnut powder, rice…
• Dark chocolate: 40 to 60 g cocoa powder according to the taste (to be incorporated at the solid flavour step), or, for a denser texture, chop 125 g of dark chocolate, add 5 tablespoons of water, melt the whole in a bain-marie and incorporate it into the batter at the liquid flavour step; you can add 100 g of chopped walnuts and/or 100 g of candied orange peel, or a filling of jam.

Course of the recipe:

Streusel: Mix the ingredients in a bowl, crushing with a fork or by hand until a very dense but crumbly consistency is obtained. Form a sausage pudding and keep in a cool place for 2 to 4 hours.
Muffin: All ingredients (egg, butter, milk, flour and sugar) are at room temperature. In a bowl, whisk the soft butter with the electric mixer for about 2 minutes until white and creamy. Add the icing sugar and mix equally well. Pour in the honey and the liquid flavour (vanilla, lemon…) and mix for at least 1 minute. Pour in the oil and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Crack one egg at a time, and stir for about 1 minute between each addition of an egg. The mixture should be even and creamy. Pour in the fermented milk and stir for no more than 10 to 20 seconds, always with the electric mixer, until the homogeneous texture quickly changes into small lumps. In another large bowl, carefully mix the sifted flour and baking powder, then add the solid flavour (fresh or frozen fruit, seeds, powder) and pour into the creamy mixture. With a tablespoon or a spatula, stir obliquely from the bottom of the bowl towards the surface, gently with amplitude, giving about 20 to 30 spoon turns. Do not overwork the dough, which should be grainy and airy (mix longer with the chocolate or it will be a marble muffin).

Use a muffin tin about 5 to 6.5 cm in diameter made of silicone or metal with paper cups. If required, butter and flour the tin. Fill 3/4 of the imprint height, cover well with small pieces of streusel to be pushed lightly into the batter. Bake at falling heat, depending on the size of the mould: start for 3 to 6 minutes at 230° then 11 to 20 minutes at 160° until the tops are golden brown. If required, place a baking tray under the baking grid to diffuse the heat. Insert a pin in the centre of the cake, if it comes out with a few crumbs, it is cooked, if it comes out dry, it is overcooked. Take them out of the oven, unmould them and let them cool on a wire rack. The muffins are dark blonde in colour and remain fluffy and moist. Delicious when eaten in the first hour, they develop more flavour the next day.

They can be kept 1 month in the freezer in a closed bag to keep them fresh or 3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight box with a paper at the bottom.

After thawing or taking them out of the refrigerator, leave them at room temperature for at least one hour. To enjoy their taste and texture, always eat them at room temperature around 20°.