Tuesday, November 6, 2012

buttermilk crumb muffins

what a week it has been!  hopefully, everyone is recovering from the monster storm that ate the jersey shore.  for those of you affected by the flooding-i feel your pain.  it has been 2 years since the big nashville flood of may 2010 but the memory is still with us.  the power of water is like none other.

since i live in nashville and was not affected by the storm, i was not only able to bake the muffins but also serve as hostess with the mostest this week's tuesdays with dorie/baking with julia challenge.  how about a big happy birthday to me?  yup, it's my birthday, but there will be no crying at this party, just muffins!

as hostess, it is my job to post the complete recipe.  for those of you with the book, it can be found on page 207.  for those of you without the book, let me suggest that you buy a copy; it is worthy of the space on your bookshelf!

special note to vegan bakers; the recipe can easily be converted to yield vegan muffins.  scroll through the recipe to the bottom of the post to see a photo and the conversion notes.



buttermilk crumb muffins
from the book, baking with julia, by dorie greenspan
published by william morrow
makes 14-16 muffins

a few notes before we begin.  first of all, i do not like to use hydrogenated shortening, it adds no flavor and isn't a good idea for someone with high cholesterol, like me.  that said, i used virgin coconut oil in place of the shortening.  not only is it non-hydrogenated, it adds wonderful flavor to the muffins.  second, i do this sort of thing for a living and have a hard time adapting to typical home kitchen methods.  what that means is that i use portion scoops whenever i make muffins or cookies.  for this recipe, i used a #16 (blue handled) scoop.  in my fancy ikea muffin pan, this made them mushroom out a bit.  since the yield is more than 12, i baked the rest in a little heart muffin pan.  if you do this, do not put more than a flat #16 scoop in each heart or you will lose the heart shape like mine did.  the last note, my muffins baked up quickly-25 minutes and they were done.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, well beaten



position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray or grease two 12-cup muffin tins, or if you have them, use a 12-cup and a 6-cup tin.

mixing the batter and topping

put the flour and brown sugar into a large bowl and stir with your fingers or a fork to mix well.  break the shortening into a few pieces, drop them into the flour mixture, and, using your fingertips, lightly rip the shortening and flour together.  when the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs, you've mixed enough-don't worry about any little lumps.  measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and set it aside to use later as the crumb topping.


add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to the flour mixture and stir with a fork to mix well.  add the buttermilk and beaten eggs and, using a large spoon, mix until the ingredients are well blended and the batter is thick and shiny.






spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup at least two-thirds full.  sprinkle the top of each muffin with a rounded teaspoon of the reserved crumb mixture and pat it gently onto the batter.  half-fill any empty muffin molds with water-this will help the muffins bake evenly.







baking the muffins
bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  serve warm.





storing
the muffins are best the day they are made, but will keep in a plastic bag or closed container for a day; reheat for 5 to 8 minutes in a 350F oven.
contributing baker, marion cunningham

vegan muffins with cocoa nibs
to make a vegan version of the muffins, use the following substitutions:
1.  for the 2/3 cup shortening, use virgin coconut oil not only for the fact that it is a much healthier plant fat that is not hydrogenated but also because it is full of flavor and will give the muffins a nice coconut aroma.
2.  for the 2 eggs i used ener-g brand egg replacer according to the recipe on the box which is 2 ounces warm water and 1 tablespoon of the mix.
3.  for the 1 cup buttermilk, i used 1 cup of unsweetened, plain soy milk.  this is an acceptable substitution but it would be a good idea to reduce the amount by a tablespoon or two since it is thinner than buttermilk; the higher moisture content makes a thinner batter and moister muffins that sink slightly in the center.
4.  i added 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs but you can add nuts or other crunchy items, but i would avoid fresh fruit unless you reduce the milk as suggested.
5.  using the blue handled #16 scoop and paper muffin cups yielded 18 muffins that baked off in 20-23 minutes.

be sure to check the tuesdays with dorie page to view the links to all of the participants.  thanks for the party!  now to have cake and watch the election results!!!


31 comments:

  1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
    Your muffins came out beautifully - it seems like everyone who changed out from the shortening ended up with better results. I love baking with coconut oil - that was a great idea.
    Have a great day!

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  2. I love how your muffins look. If I ever get to IKEA, I'm going to get their muffin tin. I had reservations about using shortening also, but decided to follow the recipe as is, because I don't bake a lot. Now I have an alternative. Happy, Happy Birthday!

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  3. lovely recipe and a very Happy Birthday!!. I baked today but ended up with totally cracked tops. can you tell me what could be the reason?

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  4. Happy Birthday! great muffins- love the tin.

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  5. Happy birthday, Lisa! Your muffins look great!

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  6. Happy Birthday! And nice muffins! ;) I don't think I had enough crumb on my muffins, but yours look lovely!

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  7. Have a very Happy Birthday! My birthday was last week, I do love birthdays--except for the fact that I am getting very old!
    Your muffins look beautiful--mine resemble the Grand Canyon. They are pretty pathetic.

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  8. Happy Birthday and thank you for hosting this week! I like your muffins. I mad minis!

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  9. Your muffins look great! Have a great birthday.
    Carlene

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  10. I too have that Ikea muffin pan and love it. Happy Birthday!

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  11. Happy birthday, and one more fan of that muffin tin here!

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  12. Happy Birthday! Cute minis. Do you know anything about the TWD LYL post? I cannot see it. even though I refresh the homepage
    Deborah

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  13. Happy Birthday!! I love the tall muffin pan! (Not that I need a single new baking pan in my kitchen....!)

    Thank you for hosting this week. :)

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  14. Happy birthday! I too used a portion scoop even though I'm not a pro. So much neater and keeps them evenly sized.

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  15. Happy birthday!! And thanks for hosting this week.. I like the idea of using coconut oil instead of shortening, next time I should try that.. Love everything with coconut :)

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  16. Your muffins came out perfect birthday girl! I love the tall ones and the idea of a vegan recipe is always welcome. The coconut oil is a perfect substitution. Thanks for hosting!

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  17. Your muffins look so delicious! Happy happy birthday!

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  18. Happy birthday!!! I love your IKEA muffin tins...so cute! And thanks for hosting.

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  19. Happy Birthday! Thank you for hosting. I really like the coconut oil idea. I wish I had thought of that! The shortening I buy is non-hydrogenated, but I still never feel great about using it.

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  20. Happy Birthday - love the way your muffins 'mushroomed' up! Coconut oil is a great sub for shortening in this recipe. I'll remember that for next time. Your vegan version looks lovely, too. Thanks for hosting.

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  21. Happy birthday! Thanks for hosting this week; the muffins are delicious.

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  22. Happy Birthday - thank you for hosting. I love your shapes, and that you published a vegan alternative recipe. I am huge fan of coconut oil too.

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  23. Happy Birthday, Lisa! Thanks for hosting this week. I like your idea to use cocoa nibs :)

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  24. Happy Birthday and love your muffin's shape.

    Thanks for hosting!

    Carmen
    http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/twd-baking-with-julia-walnut-coconut-buttermilk-crumb-muffins/

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  25. Those look good! Thanks for hosting and Happy Birthday!!

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  26. What fun to host on your birthday - Happy Belated Birthday <:)

    Your muffins look awesome! Love the the shape of your muffins.

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  27. Hope you had a great birthday! Your muffins look great.

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  28. those are some cute muffin tins and some great looking muffins. Thanks for hosting!

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  29. happy belated birthday! thanks for hosting, and going the extra mile with a vegan version.

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  30. These turned out dry, baked for 20 mins quite tough, and def needed more salt I used cocnut oil. Disappointed

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  31. 3 Studies PROVE Why Coconut Oil Kills Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you literally burn fat by consuming coconut fat (in addition to coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 studies from large medicinal magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world upside down!

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