250. Muffin Tops, Fun and Pretty

When my mother made muffins for us, they were considered a special, tender breakfast treat. We ate them while they were still hot and very soft. Because of this, we would not cut them, but instead broke them apart so that the top was on one side and the bottom on the other. The muffin interior was then spread with butter or margarine. My favorite part was the top half which was slightly sweeter and crunchy...in order to savor the moment, I always ate it last.

While muffins are traditionally served hot, right out of the oven for breakfast, there are no rules for when they might be eaten. Snacks, desserts or side-dish muffins sound fine to me! Some muffins do not lose their appeal when served cold and are a convenient treat to take along in a lunch box.

Although muffins are easy to make from scratch, there are wonderful muffin mixes on the market…some with real blueberries, my favorite,  included. One of the easiest muffin mixes to use is Jiffy brand; they offer a variety of mixes, but their corn-bread is especially good. Many things can be added to muffins whether they are homemade or from a mix...and that includes the toppings, like today's corn muffin recipe.

In the picture below, one package of Jiffy corn muffin mix was modified to create six interesting and delicious choices. Top L, clockwise: coconut, brown sugar, chopped pecans, toffee bits, white sugar; center -  raspberry preserves.

Muffin Tops

1 pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 C milk

Variety of toppings: coconut, brown sugar, white sugar, preserves, toffee bits, nuts.

Mix muffins according to package directions. Line muffin cups with paper. Fill cups ½ full. Sprinkle muffin batter with desired toppings like those listed above. Bake 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes 6 muffins.