Melt In Your Mouth Muffin Mix

And the muffins, too.

Many moons ago when the Fetters family moved, they gave everyone a goodbye gift designed to cause feelings of deep love for them. This muffin mix was it. I was so happy with the resulting muffins that I bought the recipe book from which it came. Only to find that apparently Mrs Fetters had drastically revised the recipe. Like, big time. (There, a few out dated dork terms thrown in for free.) Thankfully, since I had the new and improved version I have never wasted time on the original version. It won't get any better, so why mess with it?

The muffins made with this mix always turn out better than any other recipe (with the minor exception of the family's favorite blueberry muffin recipe for the blueberry department).

This mix makes great gifts. I have given it for Christmas and more often as a new baby gift. When you have a new baby you need help. Muffin mixes are made for moms with meager moments. I had to get that out there.

This is delicious with half and half white and whole wheat, all white, and is even fantastic with all whole wheat. It's like this was made for Priscy. : ) Amazing, huh? I have cut the sugar back from the recipe I received and it still is, shall we say, "a good source" of that non-nutrient, so feel free to take it even further. I don't serve muffins very often, so I don't feel too guilty over it. Ready? This is an easy one.

The Mix:
8 c flour
2 c sugar
3 T baking powder
2 t salt
1 T cinnamon
2 t nutmeg

Mix.

I have mine stored in the above pictured container wherein it has been contained off and on for oh, 10ish years now. I taped the recipe on the container so I never need to look it up to make the muffins or the mix. This is my kind of convenience food. The convenience lies in not having to search out the recipe. : )

The pictured muffins are banana with a walnut-flour-brown sugar-butter topping. They were smarvelous!

To use the mix:
2 3/4 c mix
1 egg
1 milk
1/2 c oil or butter (*I reduce this, keep reading. I also wonder if I didn't write this down wrong. Can it really be more than 1/4 cup?)
Optional: 1 c blueberries, cranberries, peaches, 1/2 c mashed banana, nuts, raisins/dried fruit, etc.

Combine wet ingredients. Stir fruit if using, into mix. Fold wet into dry, stirring just until combined. Fill 12 muffin cups, bake at 385-400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Corn muffins: reduce mix to 2 1/4 cups, add 1/2 cup cornmeal.

*I have found the fruit-puree-to-replace-oil stunt to work fantastically with these. I use about 2-4 T butter/oil and use applesauce or banana or whatever. I guess if I needed maximum filling power with minimum food, or were feeding someone with serious nutritional needs I would try this much oil. We ... don't really fall into this range. I just read that high fat foods make for happier people while traveling. Is that why travel snacks and meals seem so high fat? We instinctively know this? : ) Want to try these as a breakfast on the road?

For our absolute favorite version of these, I roughly chop/mash a pint jar or small can of peaches in their juice and dump it in, using the specified amounts of mix, and egg, 0-2 T oil, and possibly slightly less milk than called for. They are SO peachy good!