Muffins

American muffins are similar to a small cake. They look like cupcakes but they are not as sweet as cupcakes. They have round dome tops and are about the size of an adult human palm. American muffins come in a variety of flavors, where the special ingredient is baked right in them. Some of the most common American Muffin flavors are blueberry, chocolate chip, lemon poppy seed, raspberry, apple streusel, cinnamon, pumpkin, date nuts, banana, strawberry, carrot, and cornbread. American muffins are generally considered a breakfast food, but they also make a great snack. Another type of muffin is the English muffin.

These are smaller disk shaped muffins and can also be a breakfast food. Usually they are toasted and fruit preserves or some other type of spread is put on them. In England they can also be served with a tea meal. The word muffin probably came from the French word moufflet, meaning “soft” as in soft bread. Early muffins were not as sweet and went stale quickly so they were not seen in shops. They were mostly made from grains with very little or no add-ins. In the 1950’s grocery stores began carrying muffin mixes, and with the invention of paper cup holders muffin baking became more popular because cleaning the pans become much easier.

Modern day muffins mixes have preservatives to prevent them from going stale within a couple of hours, although they are not any tastier than home made muffins. Healthful muffins often are made from whole grains, although not the best thing for, it is a better alternative to a doughnut or other fat-laden pastry. Another trend is that muffins sold in shops are a lot larger than the predecessors. They are sometimes refereed to as mammoth muffins or mushroom muffins for there large size. Muffins continue to be a very popular breakfast meal, and with the variety of traditional and gourmet flavors, there is bound to be a muffin out there for everyone.