Basic muffin recipe

A couple of eggs have been sitting in my fridge for some time now waiting to be used so last night I decided to make muffins. My mother gave me this basic recipe which can be adapted to every taste. Its' quick and easy to make and you can add whatever you like - chopped nuts, chocolate, dried or fresh fruit...You can also experiment with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice etc. Last night I used toasted almonds and dark chocolate.

Basic muffin recipe (makes 12)

- 2 eggs (so now I have only five left...)
- 125g butter
- 150 to 200g sugar (depending on what you add to your muffins, 150g when it's chocolate, 200g when you use something not so sweet such as dried apricots for instance)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 250 to 300g flour (again depending of what you add to the muffins, the batter should be moist but not runny)
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1.5 dl milk with one tablespoon plain yoghurt stirred in (the bicarbonate of soda is more effective when mixed with something acidic)

- preheat the oven to 180°
- mix the eggs, butter and sugar and beat vigourously until the mixture is light and fluffy
- mix the flour, baking soda and bicarbonate of soda and stir into the egg mixture
- stir in the milk and yoghurt
- stir in whatever additional ingredients you are using

- line your muffin tray with little paper cups and divide the batter evenly between the moulds
- bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes (a knife blade inserted into a muffin should come out clean)
- let cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long).

The muffins taste fantastic eaten fresh - as they are so quick to make you could even make them for your loved ones for breakfast, provided you are a little bit of an early bird. Once they have cooled completely you can also put them into a sealable plastic bag and pop them in the freezer. They don't take long to thaw and can be warmed in the oven - brilliant for when your mother-in-law comes around for coffee unexpectedly. Or just when you feel you deserve a treat.