Strawberry Muffins

After three days and two nights of no sleep and the inability to eat I finally finished the three of the four books from Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series. I could not put the book down. The last time I was confined by a book was when Stephen introduced me to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time.

Day one out of my comatose state the kids demanded something homemade. After a short deliberation we settled on muffins utilizing the package of fresh strawberries we picked up at the market. The hint of nutmeg was an unexpected delight reminiscent of Bella’s description of “her Jacob”, woodsy and warm. The strawberries added the cool sweet essence associated with Bella’s “Romeo”, Edward.

Source: Child Tea Party
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, warm melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped
Cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard 12-muffin pan or line with paper cups.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and set aside. In large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, warm melted butter and vanilla. Add the chopped strawberries to the flour and toss. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients; careful not to overmix.

Pour the strawberry muffin batter into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with cinnamon and sugar before baking. Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack. Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

Recipe yields 12 strawberry muffins.