Tuesday, November 6, 2012

TWD: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins




Alright, I'll admit it.  This week's TWD/BWJ recipe scared me just a little.  I was reading the recipe and thinking:  really?   Two cups of brown sugar?  Two-thirds of a cup of Crisco?  Ahem, Crisco, as in that fake stuff?  Well, yes, yes, yes, and yes as it turns out.  Now, I bake all the time.  Sometimes I alter recipes to make them a little friendlier to arteries and insulin levels and sometimes I don't.  Generally, I'm not afraid of butter and sugar because, as it turns out, you don't have to eat everything you bake.  Other people are usually more than happy to accept home-baked goods.  However, when something is supposed to be a breakfast food and it calls for crazy amounts of sugar and a fake, processed product for the fat, well that is where I draw line.  Okay, usually.  Just for once, I gave in and made these muffins.

Now, can I be honest with you?  They were okay.  I mean, they tasted alright (much like a coffeecake--though I have had better coffee cake) and went splendidly with coffee and that is usually all I want out of breakfast.   However, I have about twenty other muffin recipes that: 1) taste better; 2) contain less than half the sugar of this one; 3) call for at least some whole grain flour; and 4) don't call for shortening.  So, I dare say that I don't see myself making this recipe again.  It's not that the muffins are bad, they just aren't really my thing.

That said, if they do sound like your thing, stop by Easier Than Pie for the recipe.

16 comments:

  1. I think "team so-so" is going to win the majority of the votes when it comes to the verdict this week. This was a rough one.

    Your muffins did come out very attractively - I have muffin envy :-)

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  2. You baked very pretty looking muffins Julia! They tasted very old-fashioned but good in my opinion, but I used butter, which makes a difference I think. Nice pic!

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  3. You muffins look perfect. I agree, I have plenty of muffin recipes that I like better. Mine tasted ok but they look like the Grand Canyon. So, I will happily walk away from this recipe.

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  4. Your muffins baked up nicely. At least you have a rounded top. But I totally agree with you about having better muffin recipes. The sugar amount was harder for me take than the shortening. To me shortening and butter are the same thing. (at least according to the nutritional labels) And to be honest, I don`t think I have any muffin recipes that call for shortening.

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  5. I agree with your comments regarding the recipe .
    Lisa

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  6. Julia, I so agree with your point of view. Reading the first paragraph I thought "this could be me... except that my English is not 1/4 as good as yours".
    Firstly I shut the book: "Noway I'm going to bake them", but then I totally "reorganised" the recipe and tried to make it healthier... and it was still fine!
    Your muffins look amazed. I love the dome!

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  7. I haev to agree with you on the final verdict. They were just okay. I figure that if you're gonna have all the sugar and shortening in a muffin, it should at least taste amazing. These weren't. I'll say this though: yours look great!

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  8. I agree they were all right. At least yours look good!

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  9. I'm with you on this recipe. They should taste amazing. And taste amazing the next day. However, your photos are so lovely!

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  10. For me, they were good, not great. But your muffins sure look great!

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  11. Your muffins look great. I do like them and think they taste best with a cup of coffee, but I agree with you - not sure I will be making them again.

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  12. Who cares about the taste when they look so cute like yours in the picture :) Yeah, I am with you, there are so many better muffin recipes.

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  13. Your muffins look great! I cut the sugar by half and used butter. Could not bring myself to follow the recipe; and I do like my sweets, especially baked goods. They were rather bland - the spices really did not come through. Boys liked them..

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  14. I made myself feel better about the ingredients and quantities by halving the amount and replacing the shortening with butter.
    Your muffins turned out great!

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  15. Yes, they were reminiscent of coffee cake but not as good. Yours look good though.

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  16. Your batch looks great! ...but I agree - I try to stay away from fake oil and minimize the sugar when I bake, too.

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