Surprise Muffins (Old School, Home Economics Class)

By Rolf Johnson
…with a special thanks to my Home Economics teachers, Lynnea Hickey and Linette Haleen

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 egg – slightly beaten with a fork
1 cup milk
1/4 cup soft/melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup jelly – or filling of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a second medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, vanilla, and vegetable oil.
Make a “well” in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the well.
Stir until the mixture is moist. Don’t over mix, the batter should be lumpy.
Fill the muffin tins half full and drop a small amount of jelly into the center of each muffin.
Add more batter on top of the jelly so that each cup is now 2/3 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
When the muffins are baked there will be a jelly surprise in the middle.

NOTES:

Try using fresh fruit as the center surprise.
You can use oil instead of butter for a softer texture…choose a flavorless oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, or safflower oil.  A combination of 50/50 oil and butter also works well.
Make the muffins gluten-free by using a 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.
Buttermilk, sour cream or regular yogurt can be used in place of whole milk.