Surprise Muffins

My cabinets are bare of anything to grab and eat, bah!  I have stuff to cook and bake but I just haven't had the spunk to get it done.  We've had so much going on lately!  I found out last week that when I let my cupboards get like that, I tend to eat out.  Not a good thing for the old bank account or the hips!

So,  my first mission Monday morning (before work... Eek) was to drum up some viddles for breakfast. (Our schedule was full all weekend with graduation parties and a bridal shower so I didn't get any time for cooking during the weekend.)

I remembered an easy muffin that I used to make for my girls when they were little.  They loved them!  I could make them with each girl's favorite jam.  I have used homemade apple butter, homemade apricot preserves or strawberry preserves, and yesterday since it was just the old man and me, I used my favorite (strawberry preserves) and his favorite, plain old grape jelly.  I usually sprinkle them with colored sugar to designate which is which.

These are like a cross between a muffin and a sweet biscuit.  I think you could take the sugar out completely and they would still be delicious (which I intend to try).

These are super frugal!  There is nothing really super nutritious in them like carrots or oatmeal, but they ARE good and when  you're on a budget, they are certainly BETTER FOR YOU than some sort of toaster pastry or frozen waffle.  They only took me about 10 minutes to mix up.  I stuck them in the oven right before I jumped in the shower and they baked up just perfectly!  They would also be a great after school snack.

Here's how I made Surprise Muffins AT HOME MY WAY:

Surprise Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (fluffed before measuring)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• Cooking spray
• Jam(s) for the "surprise" inside
• Colored sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, salt & sugar. Mix well to combine.

In a measuring cup, measure the milk, add the 1/4 cup oil, and the egg.  Blend well to fully incorporate the egg.

Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and mix JUST until moist. (Do not stir too much.)

Spray your muffin tin.

Place 1 spoon  (I use a small spoon like you would eat with) of batter in the bottom of the muffin cups.  (I put a little too much in the bottoms of mine and didn't have much for tops.  They are best to add just a little bit in the bottoms of the cups and more after you add the jam so that the tops bake completely over the jam layer.)

Add 1 teaspoon jam to each:

Add the remaining batter to the tops of the muffins:

Sprinkle with colored sugar:

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until browning!

Enjoy!

 

Gina