For Ina

Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

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Ingredients:
1 egg (or the equivalent in Ener-G Egg Replacer)
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk or almond milk or soy milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups of unbleached flour (stirred before measuring -- you may also use half whole wheat flour or a mixture of oat, rice, and other flours, or all gluten-free flours [although the muffins may not be as light, the recipe will work with a GF mixture -- you may have to play with the proportions to get the texture exactly right])
2-1/4 teaspoons of non-aluminum, double-acting baking powder (e.g., Rumford)
1/2 teaspoon salt
If you use buttermilk, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Otherwise, leave it out.
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Method:
Beat the eggs slightly and mix well with the milk and oil.
Stir the dry ingredients together, and then stir them into the wet ingredients, mixing well with a wooden spoon. (Don't worry if the batter is not completely smooth--it's best not to over beat it.)
If the batter seems stiff, add a little water.
Stir in your additions, if any. (See below.)
Fill lined muffin cups about 4/5 full.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Yield: 12 muffins

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Additions:
For blueberries: Add as many blueberries as the batter will hold (1 cup or more, depending on their size).
This recipe also works well substituting cranberries and nuts or chocolate chips or almonds and coconut, etc., for the blueberries.
Or, shred a small apple, and add it to the batter with some cinnamon and nutmeg, and maybe some chopped pecans. (The apple variety works well with the vegan, egg-free, dairy-free option.)
A mashed banana and some chopped walnuts work well.
Or leave out the sugar and add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. (Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with more shredded cheese before baking them.)
Or think of something else! This recipe is very forgiving.