Recipe #42: Cranberry-Orange Muffins with Walnuts

Cranberry-Orange Muffins with Walnuts

I obtained this recipe for Cranberry Orange Muffins from a website called Sally's Baking Addiction. The author has many wonderful recipes, including this one, which produced the best cranberry muffins thus far. I added walnuts to her excellent recipe, which only made them more delicious! The tartness of the cranberries combined nicely with the sweetness from the orange juice, brown sugar and orange glaze. And the walnuts added a nice crunch.

I served these to guests around the Thanksgiving holiday, and they thoroughly enjoyed them. In fact, when I finally found the time to take a photograph, there was only one left!

I would definitely make these muffins again, especially at Thanksgiving time. I rate these 5 out of 5.

Next Up: Cranberry-Wheat Berry Muffins

Recipe #41: Cranberry Muffins

Cranberry Muffins

The recipe in the 201 Muffins book, Cranberry Muffins, was designed to produce a plain muffin with cranberries. I found a recipe called Fresh Cranberry Muffins on the website, My Recipes, that seemed to fit the bill. It was a simple recipe, but unfortunately it produced muffins that were kind of sour and just a little too plain. More sugar might have helped, so once I learned how sour they were, I put a little orange glaze on the top to sweeten them up a bit. It didn't help much. My tasters said they were just "okay," but I didn't really like them myself.

Better luck next time, I guess! I rate these muffins 3 out of 5.

Next up: Cranberry-Orange Muffins with Walnuts

Recipe #40: Country-Time Okra Muffins, Part II

Fresh Okra Muffins

For this recipe, I chose the recipe called "Fresh Okra Muffins," from the Genius Kitchen website. I followed the recipe except that I left out the hot sauce, and instead of sliced okra I used pureed okra. Since fresh okra is out of season, I used frozen cut okra, which would not have sliced very easily and would have been mushy anyway once thawed.

These muffins were definitely corn muffins (no other type of flour was used), and were a little bland, perhaps because I left out the hot sauce which would have made them spicier, if not more flavorful. The okra flavor was detectable, but not overwhelming. Whether or not the sliced okra would have imparted more of an okra flavor I don't know. Certainly the texture would have been different with chunks of okra in the mix.

The recipe in the 201 Muffins book used all-purpose flour instead of corn meal, and called for steak sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar instead of white. Also, cheese was sprinkled on the top. These additions would have made the muffin more tasty, perhaps.

These are an acceptable variation on the basic corn muffin, but I don't think I will be making them again.

I give them 4 out of 5, though the less than perfect score may be due to the changes I made in the recipe.

Recipe #39: Country-Time Okra Muffins

Okra Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This recipe in 201 Muffins was intended to produce savory muffins, but I had a bunch of okra and so I decided to make sweet okra muffins first, followed by a savory version that more closely resembles the recipe in my book. My reasoning has to do with okra's reputation for being less than desirable: the slimy nature of the vegetable being its main objectionable feature. So I thought that if the sweet muffins came out tasting good, I would feel safe making the savory ones. So this recipe will be in two parts: sweet and savory.

As it turns out, the sweet recipe was very successful. The Okra Apple Cinnamon Muffins were delicious! My tasters enjoyed them, for the most part. (Two people thought they still tasted like okra and so rejected them.)

I gave these muffins a 5 out of 5.
Next is the savory version: Fresh Okra Muffins

Recipe #38: Cornmeal Muffins with Berries

Cornmeal Muffins with Berries

These muffins were quite good tasting. I got the recipe for this version of the 201 Muffins recipe, Cornmeal Muffins with Berries, from the website, Once Upon a Chef. The author of the website, Jenn Segal, is a former chef who now cooks for her family and friends and publishes her recipes on line. The site includes photos and detailed descriptions of the process for making the dish.

As her recipe for Blueberry Cornbread Muffins promises, the crispy cornbread goes well with the tart blueberries. The muffins are substantial without being heavy, are slightly sweet and nicely moist. My tasters enjoyed them very much. I would undoubtedly make these muffins again.

I rate the recipe and the muffins 5 out of 5.

Next up: Country-Time Okra Muffins

Recipe #37: Cornflake-Pecan Muffins

This recipe called for corn flakes as part of the dry ingredients, with the addition of pecans and allspice. I couldn't find a recipe that was equivalent to the one in 201 Muffins, but I found one on the Kellogg's website, Corn Flake Crumbs Muffins, that used corn flakes as a main ingredient so went with that one.

But since the recipe was so plain sounding, I decided to make them a bit more substantial with the addition of oat bran. I used walnuts instead of pecans (I didn't have pecans), added chopped up cherries, and didn't add any spices.

However, the recipe I chose called for four cups of corn flakes, though that seemed like a lot of corn flakes to me. As it turned out, it was too many (Kellogg's corn flakes are perhaps lighter than the store brand flakes I used), as the corn flake flavor was overwhelming. The addition of all those fibrous ingredients made the muffins quite chewy, if healthier. I also added more sugar than the recipe called for, but that didn't really help much in making the muffins sweeter.

All in all, I wasn't happy with these muffins. I don't know if my additions caused the problem, but I won't be using corn flakes in muffins anymore, as the flavor was reminiscent (in my mind) of pet food.

My tasters declared them "just okay," or "not bad," so I am giving them a rating of 2 out of 5.

I might have better luck with the next offering: Cornbread Muffins with Berries.

Recipe #36: Corn-and-Zucchini Muffins

Corn-and-Zucchini Muffins

I obtained this recipe from a personal website, The Baker Mama. The recipe she posted was called Zucchini Sweet Corn Muffins. I stuck to the recipe for the most part, leaving out only the zucchini slices for garnish.

These muffins were very good tasting and hearty. They were slightly sweet, had a nice texture and a pleasing color, too. They would go well with soup or chili or any other meal that would normally be paired with cornbread. My tasters enjoyed them also.

I rate these muffins 5 out of 5. I would definitely make these again and serve to guests.

Next up: Cornflake-Pecan Muffins

Recipe #35: Coffee-Ginger Muffins

Coffee-Ginger Muffins

The recipe in 201 Muffins called for coffee and ginger as well as cardamom and molasses. I couldn't find a recipe with all those ingredients, but I did find two that had coffee, molasses and ginger. I chose Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Latte Muffins, found on a website for vegans, Conoisseurus Veg. The recipe called for coffee, molasses and ginger, but, as the title suggests, also chocolate chips and other spices. It was an interesting recipe, using no animal products such as egg or milk (chocolate chips were vegan), but including ground flax seed, walnuts and whole wheat pastry flour.

For my version of this recipe, I left out the flax seed, and since I didn't have any whole wheat pastry flour, I used a combination of half whole wheat-half all purpose flours. Instead of chocolate chips I used cinnamon chips (non vegan), but otherwise followed the recipe (I didn't add coconut flakes on top).

The muffins made from this version of the recipe were quite good. They were hearty, moist, spicy, not too sweet and with a nice texture. The coffee flavor came through without being too strong and the coffee glaze added just enough sweetness.

My tasters enjoyed them as well, so I will definitely make these muffins again.

I rate this recipe and muffins 5 out of 5.

Next week: Corn-and-Zucchini Muffins

Recipe #34: Coconut Muffins

Taken from Baking Bites

These muffins were very good tasting, but if you don't like coconut, you won't like them as they are very strongly coconut flavored. Since I like coconut, that was a good thing for me. My tasters also really liked them a lot.

I found this recipe on a site called Baking Bites. The recipe I chose for the coconut muffins was actually called Vanilla Coconut Muffins, probably because there is a large amount of vanilla flavoring in them. More than the usual one teaspoon of vanilla, this recipe called for a tablespoon of vanilla.

There was also a large amount of coconut and I used coconut milk instead of regular milk, adding more coconut flavor. Then I added almonds to the mix, just because I wanted almonds, but neither my 201 Muffins, nor the Baking Bites recipe called for almonds, although they were suggested as an addition in the online recipe.

I had some trouble finding a coconut muffins recipe online, and didn't really find one as close to the book's recipe as I would've liked, but I thought this recipe was close enough.

I rate these muffins 5 out of 5.

Recipe #33: Cocoa Spice Muffins

Cocoa Spice Muffins

These muffins were very good. I worried that the spices would be too much when I first mixed the batter, but they were not overpowering once the muffins were made. There is also molasses in the mix, which comes through ever-so-slightly in the muffins. They taste somewhat like chocolate gingerbread, which is not a bad thing. 😋

I got the recipe from the Hershey's website: Chocolate Spiced Muffins. Their recipe used cocoa as did the 201 Muffins recipe, but the Hershey's recipe called for chocolate chips, whereas the 201 Muffins recipe called for walnuts and no chocolate chips. So I replaced the chips with the walnuts. I think the change made the muffins just as good, though not as chocolaty. And walnuts always go well with chocolate, as we all know!

My tasters all enjoyed them, so I will keep this recipe. Obviously, cooks can count on Hershey's!

Recipe #32: Cocoa-Raisin-Walnut Muffins

Cocoa-Raisin-Walnut Muffins

For these muffins I used a recipe from Fisher Nuts: Chocolate Walnut Muffins. But since the 201 Muffins recipe called for raisins, and the Fisher Nuts recipe called for chocolate chips (in addition to walnuts), I simply substituted raisins for chocolate chips. The combination made for a very good muffin--delicious, in fact, though really more like a cupcake than a muffin.

The recipe was easy to make and the results were very good. The yield was a bit larger than the recipe indicated, though--16 instead of 12 muffins.

My tasters also enjoyed them. I must say that it's certainly nice to have recipes I can trust. When you have nice ingredients like cocoa, walnuts and raisins, you expect the results to be very good, not unpredictable and frequently bad, as they were with the book's recipes.

So, on to the next muffin idea: Cocoa Spice Muffins.

Recipe #31: Citrus Muffins

Citrus Muffins

For this batch of muffins, I used a recipe from BettyCrocker.com. It called for orange and lemon peel as the main flavoring (I added 2 tsp. triple sec), and a larger than usual amount of sugar, making the muffins somewhat plain but sweet. The original recipe (in 201 Muffins) used less sugar and more citrus peel, but since it seemed a bit bizarre otherwise, I couldn't trust it.

The muffins the Betty Crocker recipe produced did not have a strong orange flavor, though, so I probably won't use that recipe again. The recipe also called for a sugar-orange peel topping which was pretty, but didn't really add much flavor. It did add texture to the muffins, though, which would have been a little bland otherwise.

The only other objection I had to the recipe was that the orange-lemon peel in the topping got toasted and turned black, making the appearance less appealing. In the photo on the website, however, there was no trace of dark brown specks, and that makes me wonder if they altered the photo to take away the specks.

But despite these flaws, I thought they were very good tasting and my tasters agreed.

I rate these muffins 4.5 out of 5, mostly for the lack of citrus flavor.

Next: Cocoa-Walnut-Raisin Muffins

Recipe #30: Cinnamon-and-Raisin Muffins

Cinnamon-and-Raisin Muffins

For these muffins, I found a nice alternative recipe on the internet at the following address: Erren's Kitchen. These muffins had no sugar added, but with the raisins and the sugar-cinnamon topping, they were sweet enough. I thought the end result tasted much like cinnamon coffee cake. They would have been enhanced by added walnuts or pecans, but I wanted to stay as close as possible to the recipe in the 201 Muffins book--at least with the basic ingredients, anyway.

Though the recipe called for six large muffins, I decided to make a dozen small muffins. (The photo shows only 11 because I ate one before I took the picture--baker's privilege.😉) I also used margarine in place of the butter, but if I make these again, I will probably use unsalted butter instead because the margarine added too much salt, in my opinion.

I thought they were very good and my tasters also enjoyed them and said they would definitely want to have them again. I rate these muffins 5 out of 5.

This was the first recipe I made to substitute for the 201 Muffins recipe. I think it was a success, so I will continue making muffins that are suggested by the recipes in the book using alternative recipes I find on the internet.

Next up: Citrus Muffins

Recipe #29: Chorizo-and-Corn Muffins

After reading the label on the chorizo I bought for these muffins (something I should've done earlier, needless to say), I learned that the sausage is made from the lymph nodes and salivary glands of pigs. When I looked that up, I further learned that such pork by-products are only used in cheap chorizo (the kind I bought) and in fact many people find them quite disgusting. That information was enough to turn me off cheap chorizo for the foreseeable future. So, I will not be making these muffins and I threw the chorizo away.

Recipe #28: Chocolate-Raspberry Muffins

Chocolate-Raspberry Muffins

I'm not sure what was the problem with these muffins. They came out very gummy, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth gummy, which is not what you want in a muffin. I'm guessing the problem was with the cup of raspberry preserves called for in the recipe. Since there was only 2 cups of flour, a cup of preserves seemed excessive and I think that's why the muffins came out gummy. I'm not sure about the science, but I wonder if the jelly got cooked to the point of turning to gum. The top of the muffins even looked as if they had been boiled (see photo). It's the only reason I can think of. There is also a possibility that I cooked them too long; but if so, it was because they were not done in the 20 minutes called for in the recipe.

At any rate, though the chocolate and raspberry flavors were nice, the muffins were inedible.

Since this is the fifth recipe in a row that turned out bad, I've decided this recipe book is not worth continuing with. The recipes are simply too unreliable. If they were kitchen tested, then I can only conclude that the editing is so poor that the recipes have not been printed as they had intended to be made. If they weren't kitchen tested, then the publishers should be ashamed.

I may, however, continue to make muffins from the ideas presented in the book, just using different, and presumably kitchen-tested, recipes. After all, that is what attracted me to the recipes in the first place. If I do continue in that way, the next muffins will be Chorizo Corn Muffins. Stay tuned for more in the near future.

Recipe #27: Chocolate Fudge Muffins

Chocolate Fudge Muffins

This recipe was different than what I'm used to with muffin recipes. For starters, it didn't have any leavening, just extra eggs. And it had a lot of butter as well. It seemed like a pound cake recipe, in fact. But pound cake, as most people know, has to be baked for a long time. This recipe called for a 300-degree oven temperature, which seemed a little cool, and the baking time was given as the usual 15 to 20 minutes. I was skeptical that the muffins would be done in that amount of time, and sure enough, they weren't. When I tested them after 20 minutes, they were still gooey inside. I baked them for a total of about 35 minutes, and they didn't rise very high, either, as you can see from the picture. Another odd feature of the recipe was the yield given: 23 to 24 muffins. That I immediately ignored since the recipe called for the usual 2 cups of flour.

The muffins tasted good (mostly due to the chocolate), but had a texture more like brownies than muffins. So, I guess it wasn't a total failure, but it was once again a recipe that had to be modified.

I have to give them 4 out of 5, just because of the recipe errors.

Next up:  Chocolate-Raspberry Muffins

Recipe #26: Chocolate Chip-and-Orange Muffins

Chocolate Chip-and-Orange Muffins

I had high hopes for this recipe. The ingredients sounded great: mini-chocolate chips, orange zest, heavy cream, triple sec liqueur. But the muffins did not turn out well, although I'm not sure why. The batter was too thick to begin with--not enough liquid, once again, I'm guessing. But the inclusion of 1/2 cup of oil plus 3/4 cup heavy cream made the muffins quite fatty. I decided not to add liquid, even though the batter was the consistency of cookie or biscuit dough. For once I was going to find out what happens when I go with the original recipe.

Well, I won't be doing that again. The recipe as-is produced muffins that were--no surprise--more like biscuits or cookies. When I first took them out of the oven at the prescribed time, they were quite gooey. Since I didn't want gooey muffins, I baked them for about ten minutes more. They came out less gooey, but then they were dry and crumbly. *Sigh!*

The flavor was good, however, so we will eat them, but they were a disappointment. My tasters agreed that the chocolate chips were good but otherwise, the muffins were not that great.

I rate these muffins 3 out of 5.

Alas! I'm starting to wonder about this book. I hope I start to have some good luck with future recipes or I may have to give up this project!

Recipe #25: Chive Dinner Muffins

Once again, a recipe failed to include enough liquid. This one was a little tricky to repair because the liquid being used was buttermilk, and I had only as much as was called for. So instead of buttermilk, I added plain yogurt, which made the muffins a little "hole-ly" (puffed up with large holes instead of small), but otherwise okay.

They were essentially plain muffins with some chives added, meaning they truly were for dinner rather than any other meal, although they went well with eggs, I thought, and would have gone well with other main dishes. My tasters gave them a mediocre rating--"They were okay." I thought they were good but would probably not make them again.

I wouldn't recommend the recipe since it was flawed. I rate them 3.5 out of 5.

I did not get a photo of these muffins.

Recipe #24: Cherry Muffins

Cherry Muffins

These muffins were good tasting for the most part. They were a little dry, but that was probably due to my having left them too long in the oven.

The recipe was straight forward and simple. I decided to make the large muffins (6) instead of the small (12) because the cherries were rather large and I thought they would fit better inside a large muffin.

If I were to make this recipe again, I would chop up the cherries into smaller pieces. I think that would spread the cherry flavor around a little bit more, also. As it was, the only time I tasted cherry was when I bit into one.

My tasters seemed to like these muffins, though they didn't get rave reviews. I'll rate these 4 out of 5, for the fair (but not great) flavor.

Next up: Chive Dinner Muffins

Recipe #23: Cheesy Bacon-'n-Apple Muffins

Cheesy Bacon-'n-Apple Muffins

These muffins were just about perfect. They had a subtle cheese flavor and a slight apple taste. They were very good for eating with a main dish. Their texture and color were also very nice and they had a pretty shape. Moreover, the recipe was easy to make and no adjustments were needed. I made 6 large muffins instead of 12 small and they were a good size.

I used bacon bits instead of bacon that I prepared myself. That was a good decision because unlike with the Bacon Muffins (earlier recipe), the chunks of bacon in these muffins were much smaller and easier to chew. My tasters all said they were very good.

I would recommend this recipe highly and therefore give it a 5/5 ranking.

Recipe #22: Cheddar Cheese-and-Pepper Muffins

These muffins were pretty tasty. They had a slight cheese flavor and were quite moist. The only part of the recipe I thought didn't come out as well was the sprinkling of cheese on the top mid-way through the baking. The cheese refused to stay on top of the muffin and most of it ended up on the baking pan where it did no good.

Otherwise, they were successful and my tasters liked them.

I rate these 4.5 out of 5.

Recipe #21: Carrot-and-Pineapple Muffins

These muffins were made with whole wheat flour, which made them a little flatter than muffins made with unbleached flour. They were pretty tasty, though, and sweet. The carrots and pineapple were chunky rather than pureed, which gave the muffins some nice texture. The only objection I had to the recipe was the addition of flavoring. It asked for either coconut or almond flavoring. I chose almond, but at 1/2 teaspoon, the amount of flavoring was too much and overpowered the muffin's subtler carrot-pineapple flavor. If I made these again, I would leave out the flavor.

My tasters said they liked them, one saying they were "delicious."

I rated these muffins 4 out of 5, mostly for the flavoring problem.

Recipe #20: Cajun Corn Muffins

Cajun Corn Muffins

These muffins were quite spicy, but otherwise good tasting. They contained green and red bell peppers and onions, which gave them a nice texture and flavor. The heat came mainly from the cayenne pepper that was added. They went nicely with chili, I thought, making a milder chili a bit hotter.

The only objection I had to this recipe was that, once again, there was no liquid included, so I had to add some milk when I saw that the batter was going to be too dry. They turned out okay with the addition, though.

My tasters enjoyed these muffins for the most part. They acknowledged they were hot, but they still liked them. I think they were good, but if I make them again, I'll add less cayenne pepper.

I rated these muffins 4 out of 5 for being good but a little too hot and for the recipe's error.

Recipe #19: Butternut Squash Muffins

Butternut Squash Muffins

These muffins were kind of plain and not sweet, which makes me believe they were meant to be enjoyed with a main dish. But they had a nice mild squash flavor and a good texture. The recipe predicted 15-16 muffins, but I could see (once again) that the 2 cups of flour would make the usual dozen muffins. And of course it did.

One thing I did especially liked about these muffins is their pretty pale yellow color.

They were tasty and the recipe was easy to prepare. My in-laws also enjoyed them, and agreed they were for the main meal rather than dessert. 

I rate these 5 out of 5.

Next is Cajun Corn Muffins, another savory selection.

Recipe #18: Brown Sugar Muffins

These muffins were quite tasty and sweet, though the recipe was really pretty plain. They had lots of brown sugar, as you might guess, and that imparted a nice, almost caramel-like flavor. And for the first time in several weeks, the recipe called for vanilla extract.

This was a successful recipe. I would definitely make these again and my tasters agreed!

I rate these 5 out of 5.

Recipe #17: Bran Muffins with Raisins

Bran Muffins with Raisins

These muffins had an unusual texture for a bran muffin. This was due to their having only All-Bran™ as their bran flour. The rest of the flour was all-purpose (i.e. white). Bran muffins are normally darker colored, usually from dark flour or molasses.

Nonetheless, these were quite good tasting, somewhat sweet and more cake-like than some of the earlier muffins (especially the blueberry-yogurt muffins). My tasters enjoyed them as much as I did.

I rate these muffins 5 out of 5. The recipe makes some interesting, tasty muffins!

Recipe #16: Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

These muffins seem designed to be "healthy"--the recipe called for oat bran, skim milk, egg whites, honey and plain yogurt in addition to blueberries and other more conventional ingredients. The recipe warned that they would not rise very high, and that is what happened, as you can see from the photo.

I found them to be a little too plain for my taste, more like bread, although my tasters said they liked them.

I would recommend these for anyone who likes a healthier muffin. I rate them 4 out of 5 because they weren't sweet enough for me.

Recipe #15: Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

These muffins were quite tasty and a hit with my tasters. I used frozen blueberries since I couldn't find fresh ones for a good price. I was afraid they would be mushy, but I did as recommended on the blueberry package and incorporated them frozen, which worked to keep their shape.

The only problem I saw was with the recipe. Once again, the predicted number of muffins was way off. The recipe said 5 or 6 muffins, but I knew that would be wrong because the amount of flour was 2.5 cups.

I would recommend these muffins!

I rate them 5 out of 5.

Recipe #14: Blueberry-Banana Muffins

Blueberry-Banana Muffins

These muffins were quite tasty--moist, slightly sweet and very fruity. The recipe called for three different fruits--blueberries, bananas, and pineapple juice concentrate--plus a small amount of orange juice concentrate (or triple sec). There was no added sugar, but the pineapple juice could be said to substitute for that.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins

However, the recipe did not make the number predicted: 18. A dozen was all I could get out of it, but I wasn't surprised, since the amount of flour was about the same as other recipes with that yield.

All in all, I liked the recipe and would make these muffins again, maybe adding some nuts.

My tasters were very pleased, so I give these muffins a rating of 4.5 out of 5 (for the yield discrepancy).

Next up: Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

Recipe #13: Blackberry Muffins

Blackberry Muffins

These muffins were somewhat plain, but they had big blackberries in them that made them a little bit sweeter.

The recipe was a bit strange, though, at least for me. It called for egg whites, beaten stiff, into which the blackberries were folded. Once that was done, the egg white mixture was to be blended with the rest of the batter. However, that batter was rather stiff and didn't yield to the egg white mixture very well, so the egg whites were quite flat by the time they were forced into the batter. That left me wondering why egg whites were used in that way when the result was the same as it would have been if the eggs were left whole.

Another strange aspect of this recipe was that it said it would make 5 to 6 muffins of the standard 2.75 inch size. When I saw how much flour was being used--2 1/2 cups--I was skeptical. That much flour should produce at least a dozen muffins, I thought, and I was right. It made 6 large muffins. Why the prediction was for 5 or 6 small muffins, I can't begin to answer.

Notwithstanding recipe problems, I thought they were pretty good tasting, and my tasters declared them to be good, so I rate these muffins at 4 out of 5.

Recipe #12: Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins

Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins

These muffins were good tasting. They had just the right amount of poppy seeds and a slight orange flavor from the orange zest.

I had a problem with the recipe though: in the book the recipe did not call for any liquid. When I first mixed the ingredients together, the batter was very thick, almost cookie dough consistency. I knew that wasn't right, so I decided to add some milk. Going by other recipes in the book, I added about 2/3 cup milk. That seemed to make the batter more muffin-like, so I went with it. Since the muffins turned out okay, I guess I made the right decision. It was annoying, though, to have to improvise.

Researching this book, I found that other recipes have some missing ingredients, pointed out by people who've posted on line about it. And as I've mentioned before, the pictures in the book often do not match what the muffins should look like based on their ingredients. I think the book was poorly edited and proofread; it seemed to me a low-budget publication.

But I will soldier on with it, making adjustments as necessary. The recipes do look interesting, after all, and I'm still eager to try them.

These muffins were deemed good by my tasters, so I rate them 4.5 out of 5, mostly due to the recipe glitch.

Next up: Blackberry Muffins

Recipe #11: Banana-Praline Muffins

Banana-Praline Muffins

This recipe made some very moist, very tasty muffins. The banana flavor was strong and went with the pecans very well.

The recipe was easy to make and quite similar to the other recipes so far.

I would definitely make this muffin again. It was also a hit with my tasters.

I rate this muffin 5 out of 5.

Recipe #10: Banana Crown Muffins

Banana Crown Muffina

The "crown" on these muffins is intended to be (I think) the slice of banana and teaspoon of mango jam that are added to the top of the muffin before baking. You can see this in the photo of the muffins (it looks black because of the cooked banana). That addition seemed a little weird to me and unnecessary, as it doesn't seem to add much to the muffin.

The muffins were good tasting, though, in spite of their strange "crowns." The recipe seems to produce a low fat muffin (no fat was added) with a slightly spongy texture, but plenty of walnuts and a nice banana flavor.

My tasters also found them to be worthy. I rate them 4.5 out of 5.

Recipe #9: Banana-and-Chocolate-Chip Muffins

Banana-and-Chocolate-Chip Muffins

These muffins were good tasting, mostly due to the chocolate chips, I think. They were more like cake, and so seemed more like dessert. My in-laws were pleased, though I think that may have been because they were so disappointed with the last recipe!

The recipe was fairly easy to make, and ended up making more than the 9 or 10 predicted by the recipe.

There were too many chocolate chips, in my estimation, overpowering the flavor of the bananas.

Overall, I give these muffins a 4.5 out of 5.

We're going to stay in the banana realm for a few more recipes. Next is Banana Crown Muffins.

Recipe #8: Bacon Muffins

Bacon Muffins

These muffins were essentially plain muffins with lots of crumbled bacon in them. They were not sweet, so were intended to go with a main dish. We ate them with scrambled eggs at supper time. They were good tasting, but maybe just a little too full of bacon. (My in-laws, however, didn't care for them.)

I may have inadvertently used too much bacon (the recipe called for 8 slices), since the bacon slices I used were a little thicker than average. Also, I crumbled the crispy bacon by hand, which left some pieces too large and a bit too chewy, I think. Next time I might try using the food processor to crumble the bacon.

The idea of bacon muffins was a new one for me, so it was an interesting experience.

I'd give these muffins 4.5 out of 5.

Recipe #7: Avocado Muffins

These muffins were not very sweet, but they had a lot of almonds in them which gave them a nice crunchy texture. Never having baked with avocado before, I didn't know what to expect. But other than their slightly green tinge, the muffins didn't show much evidence of avocado. They were quite moist, though, which was welcome. They were a bit salty, too, which may have been due to the avocado since the amount of salt that was added was average for the muffins I've made so far.

My in-laws declared them to be okay; they were expecting them to be sweet, so that influenced their assessment. But they acknowledged the moistness and crunchiness which they liked. We both decided that old-school muffins are not sweet, really, being more like bread. Muffins you buy today, we thought, are much more like cake than muffins, due to sugar-laden foods' being more popular these days.

I didn't get a photo of these muffins.

I rate these muffins 4 out of 5.

Recipe #6: Apricot-and-Walnut Muffins

Apricot-and-Walnut Muffins

These muffins sounded interesting in the recipe, but they didn't turn out exactly as I had imagined they would. The apricot was jam rather than fresh apricots, and the walnuts were on top rather than in the batter.

As you can see, the apricot jam collapsed into the muffin, causing the muffin to look collapsed. The jam didn't cook, so caused the muffins to be filled, which was okay, but it helped to know in advance that the jam would tend to squirt out on you when you bit into the muffin.

I thought the body of the muffin was kind of dry and bland, but my in-laws thought they were very good and nicely sweet.

So, I give these muffins a 4 out of 5, based on the combination of mine and my in-laws' assessment.

Recipe #5: Applesauce Muffins

Applesauce Muffins

These muffins had walnuts in them and whole wheat flour. They weren't very sweet, but they were hearty tasting. The apple flavor, coming from applesauce rather than apples, was not as strong as with the fresh apples in earlier muffins. But over all they were good muffins.

I rate these a 4.5 out of 5.

Recipe #4: Apple-and-Pecan Muffins

Apple-and-Pecan Muffins

These muffins were quite good tasting. They were more like cake than any of the muffins I've made so far. I could tell they would be by the larger amount of sugar, apples and oil in the recipe. The brown sugar gave them a richer flavor somewhat reminiscent of molasses. And though there were no spices in the recipe, they tasted slightly spicy.

So, I give these muffins 5 out of 5, with extra emphasis for taste!

Next up: Applesauce Muffins.

Recipe #3: Apple-and-Oat Bran Muffins

Apple-and-Oat Bran Muffins

This recipe seemed designed to be healthy, since it called for egg whites instead of whole eggs and used only 1/3 cup of sugar and not very much apple, even. It also featured whole wheat flour and oat bran to make it extra fiber-filled.

The muffins came out "woolly," as my husband termed it. By that I think he meant they reminded him of a sturdy wool sweater made out of nubby yarn. They were plain-tasting and not very sweet, but they were good in a hearty sort of way. They'd be good with soup, I should think. I don't think I'd make them again, however, as they were not sweet enough for me.

I rate these 4 out of 5 for being bland, but hearty.