Molly's Cornbread

The is a really nice basic recipe for cornbread. Great with a soup dinner, or chilli. My family likes it with butter and honey or syrup or jam.

2 cups flour
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk, or sour milk, or buttermilk
1 stick of butter, melted.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13 inch bake pan.
Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
In another bowl or pitcher, combine the egg and milk.
Pour into the bowl with the the dry ingredients and mix.
Add in the melted butter.
Pour into the pan and bake for about 25 minutes.

This batter can of course be made into muffins if you like, or mini loaves, or whatever you like. Just adjust the cooking time.

If you want to make a smaller batch of cornbread:

1 cups flour
1 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 eggs
1 cups milk + 2 tbls, or sour milk, or buttermilk
1/2 stick of butter, melted.

Put into an 8 inch square pan and bake for maybe 18-20 minutes.
Stick a toothpick into it to make sure it's done.

French Breakfast Puffs

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

topping:

2 - 4 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Either grease a muffin tin, or get the papers into the muffin cups.

I like to make 24 mini muffins, but this recipe is perfect for 12 regular muffins.

Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, either by hand or with a hand-held mixer.

Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake until golden brown, 20 - 25 minutes for the regular muffins, less for the smaller ones.

While still hot either dip the top of the muffin in the melted butter, or brush on the melted butter, then dip the muffin into the mix of cinnamon and sugar.

note: the painting is by Therese Albert.

Laurel's Corn Bread

This probably came from Laurel's Kitchen.

2 cups of cornmeal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix the liquid ingredients
Combine everything gently and pour into the pan.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Riley's Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

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Riley is actually a very good cook. He just doesn't cook all that often.
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* 2 cups flour
* 1 Tb baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* grated nutmeg
* 2 tsp Lemon zest or to taste…

* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup melted butter (vegetable oil will work if you are desperate,
                but be prepared to be under- whelmed)
* 1/4 tsp vanilla…

* 3/4 cup blueberries (give or take a few)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put paper liners in a muffin tin.  If you don't have the liners, butter the muffin tin.
You can make 12 large or 24 small  muffins.

Combine the dry ingredients.
Whisk together in a separate bowl the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.
Mix wet with dry ingredients quickly using a fork, don't over mix. This is one of those recipes where you can tell if it was over-mixed, so be gentle.
Then add the blueberries and barely mix.

Put batter into the muffin tin and bake for about 12-15 minutes, checking every few minutes after the first ten. When a pick comes out clean they are done.

Flakey Scones

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This recipe was bought by my daughter Corey (who says is was bought by my daughter Annie) from the owner of a British Tea Room in the Washington countryside. The place is not as classy as I think it should be, but the recipe is from England and it is very yummy. It's really like a biscuit if you're American.  The original recipe didn't call for salt, which I think must have been an oversight.

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, more if desired
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
6 Tbl butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup milk

Mix the dry ingredients.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with pasty blender.
Stir in the milk all at once using a fork.
Knead the mixture about 10 times.
Preheat oven to 440 degrees.
Pat out dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and cut into squares.  Of course you can cut it anyway you like.  I don't like to fuss with cutting things into circles and then having dough scraps to deal with.
Place close together on baking sheet.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is what the tea room owner said is the key to the scones. This step is nice to do, but not necessary.
Bake about 12 to 18 minutes.   I cook on the less amount of time.

variation: whole wheat flaky scones - use 1 part whole wheat flour and 3 parts white flour

If you are making a special dinner and you realize at the last minute that you forgot the bread, this is a wonderful substitute. In about 20 minutes the scones are made and done and ready to put on the table.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

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Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a nice medium sized bowl cream:

1 stick of butter, softened a bit
1/2 cup sugar

Add:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Combine the dry ingredients:

10 ounces of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Add to the creamed mixture using a fork so that you don't over mix it. It wants to be just mixed, no smushing.

In a bowl combine:

1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop out muffin dough an put it into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, maybe 6 at a time. Gently roll the blobs of dough in the mixture, and then into nice balls. Place in a muffin tin. Bake for about 10 minutes.

I also made tiny muffins using the 1 tablespoon scoop. These cook for a slightly shorter period of time.

When I make this recipe again I think that I will add 2/3 cup buttermilk instead of 1/2 cup. I think it just needs to be a bit moister and that's how I would try this change.

To be completely decadent you can roll the balls in butter before rolling in the sugar.