Muffins!

[blue_dolphin]

This page lists substitutes complied by Alice Medrich and Rose Levy Beranbaum for the standard 1 oz squares of unsweetened baking chocolate, including an option to substitute 3 T cocoa plus 1T cocoa butter or shortening for each 1 oz square.

 

If you end up substituting both cocoa for chocolate and butter or oil for shortening, I wouldn't expect the muffins to be the same as following your friend's recipe as written.

[Deryn]

If you substitute cocoa for chocolate I am pretty sure you will have to increase the fat. See this cocoa based chocolate muffin recipe: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/03/01/chocolate-muffins/

[Shel_B]

15 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

This page lists substitutes complied by Alice Medrich and Rose Levy Beranbaum for the standard 1 oz squares of unsweetened baking chocolate, including an option to substitute 3 T cocoa plus 1T cocoa butter or shortening for each 1 oz square.

 

If you end up substituting both cocoa for chocolate and butter or oil for shortening, I wouldn't expect the muffins to be the same as following your friend's recipe as written.

 

Thanks!  Great info ... I've always trusted Alice.

[Lisa Shock]

Of course, since the recipe uses volume measurements instead of weights, it will be different every time you make it -with or without substitutions.

[kayb]

I made a batch of muffins one Sunday for the Sunday School group that had tangerines, with zest and chopped-up fruit sections, coconut and almond. The group called them a favorite.

 

[ElsieD]

18 minutes ago, kayb said:

I made a batch of muffins one Sunday for the Sunday School group that had tangerines, with zest and chopped-up fruit sections, coconut and almond. The group called them a favorite.

 

 

They sound seriously good.

[kayb]

They were. I have a generic muffin recipe that lends itself nicely to most any add-in you'd care to try. Another one that's a favorite is dried cherries, coconut and chopped almonds. I've done toll house (chocolate chips and pecans, brown sugar instead of white), caramel apple, apple cinnamon, fresh peach (with peach puree and chopped dehydrated peaches), lemon-ginger, orange-cardamom with hazlenuts, and even, once, cut the sugar to a couple of tablespoons and did chopped ham and cheese. That one, while one of my faves, didn't go over too well. That's a sweets-loving bunch.

[Smithy]

Just now, kayb said:

They were. I have a generic muffin recipe that lends itself nicely to most any add-in you'd care to try. Another one that's a favorite is dried cherries, coconut and chopped almonds. I've done toll house (chocolate chips and pecans, brown sugar instead of white), caramel apple, apple cinnamon, fresh peach (with peach puree and chopped dehydrated peaches), lemon-ginger, orange-cardamom with hazlenuts, and even, once, cut the sugar to a couple of tablespoons and did chopped ham and cheese. That one, while one of my faves, didn't go over too well. That's a sweets-loving bunch.

 

I bet persimmon puree and walnuts would do well in that. Is it a recipe you'd care to post?

[kayb]

1 minute ago, Smithy said:

 

I bet persimmon puree and walnuts would do well in that. Is it a recipe you'd care to post?

 

Oooohhhh. Now I want to do persimmon walnut!

 

Sure thing: here.

 

Three dozen from that is ambitious. I halve the recipe for a dozen, and depending on the volume of the add-ins, I may get 13 or 14.

[Smithy]

@kayb, thanks! Did you substitute some of the fruit puree for some of the milk?

[ElsieD]

Mmmmmm, caramel apple........

[kayb]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

@kayb, thanks! Did you substitute some of the fruit puree for some of the milk?

 

As best I recall, I did. I generally start with about 2/3 cup of milk and then add more as needed. I like a thick batter (think pound cake, but just a little looser).

 

I'm currently trying to figure out what I want to add with chopped dried apricots to make a Middle Eastern-spiced muffin. And what nuts to use (walnuts? Pine nuts?)

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by kayb (log)

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

 

I'm currently trying to figure out what I want to add with chopped dried apricots to make a Middle Eastern-spiced muffin. And what nuts to use (walnuts? Pine nuts?)

 

 

Pistachios? Almonds? Walnuts would certainly work.

[CatIsHungry]

@kayb I agree with @Smithy but I would lean more toward almonds, myself 🤷🏻‍♀️

[retired baker]

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2006 at 6:41 PM, snacky_cat said:

I'm going to try that one next week and, since the aforementioned new job is a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC, I will stage a head-to-head muffin comparison one morning. Snacky_cat vs UBC food services! The battle of Point Grey.

The week after will be bran muffin week (this week is bran muffins too and I don't want to clean out the old colon too much).

Anybody have some general tips on what times/temps to use for that commerical crusty muffin top action?

 

I baked thousands of muffins commercially for yrs, what is usually done is the batter is made up in huge batches and poured into buckets, chill the whole batch.

Ea morning pull out as much batter as needed and fold in frozen fruit, blueberry or rasp or whatever.

The batter becomes very stiff like mashed potato and can be piled up in the mold .

Convection baking sets the exterior very quickly so theres minimal melting and flowing outward. the only way the batter can then expand is upward.

Most of what you see in supermkt bakeshops is baked from frozen slugs. Quite dreadful.

 

Most bakeries buy dry mix in 50 lb bags and mix that in one batch, pour into large buckets and mix flavors into each one, then scoop what they need every morning.

The mix makes a weird rubbery texture, I don't like it.

 

A batter based on butter will probably set too hard in the cooler. We used unsalted margarine.

I've lost my old recipe, I'll see if someone has a copy and break it down in size.

I recall it was very odd, calling for hi gluten flour that had to be barely mixed in to prevent gluten development which makes it rubbery.