Page 315 - Cupcakes

1 large egg

1½ cups granola cereal

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist the
bottom of 12 muffin cups with the vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the muffin mix in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Place the contents of the cinnamon swirl packet, the milk, egg, and 1 cup of
granola in the well of the muffin mix. Save the cinnamon sugar packet (see box,
below) to use as a topping, if desired. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together
with a fork to break up the egg yolks, then stir just until combined, 20 strokes.
The batter will still be a little lumpy. Spoon or scoop ⅓ cup batter into each
prepared muffin cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Sprinkle the
remaining granola over the tops of the muffins, patting the granola into the batter
lightly with your fingers. If desired, sprinkle the reserved cinnamon sugar packet
from the mix over the tops as well. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the muffins until they are lightly golden and just spring back when
lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove the pan from the
oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around
the edges of the muffins, lift them up from the bottoms of the cups using the end
of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place
them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. The muffins are ready to serve.

Nut-Free Topping

When reviewing the contents of the cinnamon swirl muffin mix that I use in
several recipes in this chapter, I was surprised to read that the cinnamon
sugar packet included with the mix contained crushed pecans. It reminded
me how important it is to check the ingredient listing on the box to make
sure there’s nothing unexpected—like those nuts—that may cause problems

for people with allergies. If anyone in your family has nut allergies, here’s a
nut-free topping that makes a great finishing touch on muffins.
Mix together ½cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅓ cup oats, 1
tablespoon flour, and 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter. Sprinkle it
over the muffins before baking.