A few years ago I attended a taping of the The Martha Stewart Show. After the taping Martha took a few questions from the audience. One woman asked for a picture with Martha, which was politely nixed. Another asked how she kept in such good shape. The last one was from a lovely and slightly fragile looking woman from New Jersey. She wore a skirt and pearls and looked to be in her mid-30’s. Her question was earnest and her voice was hopeful; finally she’d be getting the answer to her pressing domestic question: “How do I keep muffins fresh and delicious for a day or two after I make them?” —
Martha stammered about following the recipe, saying you really should just eat them right away and rambled on a bit more, about what I don’t remember.
I’ve often thought about that woman from New Jersey and how disappointed she must have been in Martha’s answer. In my musings, the woman was a devoted Martha follower who is now confusingly disillusioned with her idol. If Martha couldn’t speak clearly about how to keep muffins fresh then what did that say about Martha?!
But, the thing is, Martha was right. Muffins really should be eaten the day they’re baked, preferably within a half-hour after they come out of the oven. And that’s just the way it is.
But the good news is that while the muffins should be baked just before serving, the batter can easily be mixed the night before and stored in a container in the fridge. I do this all the time for blueberry muffins, stirring in the fruit just before I bake.
I also have a favorite muffin recipe from my mother (via Susan Berkey, a neighbor in Logan, Utah circa 1980) that claims the batter, enough for three-dozen muffins, can be kept in the fridge for five weeks. That seems like a long time to me. But, I do feel comfortable keeping the batter for 7-10 days, enough for two weekends worth of muffins…or even hot, fresh muffins mid-week.
I still eat one- or two-day-old muffins, of course. But it’s nice to know how easy it is to have fresh, warm, healthful muffins any day of the week.
Here’s Susan’s recipe with a few tweaks:
RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS (originally called Refrigerator Bran Muffins)
Yield: 3 dozen muffins
3 cups whole bran cereal (like All-Bran)
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup raisins
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1. In a large bowl pour the boiling water over the cereal. Stir to moisten evenly, and allow to cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the eggs, molasses, buttermilk, canola oil, and raisins to the cereal. Stir to combine.
3. In a medium bowl stir together the baking soda, salt, sugar, all-purpose flour, and whole wheat flour.
4. Add flour mixture to cereal mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
6. When ready to bake, spoon the batter into greased or papered muffin cups and bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for five minutes and then remove to a rack until cool enough to eat.
— Jenna Helwig, Rosaberry
