Muffin

These versatile treats make fabulous hors d’oeuvres or a great breakfast on the run. They are so portable that they pack equally well for picnics, the office, and school lunches.

Buttermilk and honey makes these muffins remarkably tender and indescribably delicious. We love this recipe with raspberries, but you can also use any berries you have on hand.

SHERYL: The first time Wyatt had one of Chuck's zucchini muffins it was as if he'd died and gone to muffin heaven. I was thrilled, of course, because I knew he was actually eating zucchini without the fuss factor. Now, the first thing out of his mouth every morning is, "I want a keenie muffin!" Being the creature of habit that he is, I believe he would start every day with one of Chuck's muffins, and the nice thing about it is that Mommy can make them, too!

These blueberry muffins are the only ones that we've made every day since Foster's opened over a decade ago. That's over four thousand days of blueberry muffins! Our customers demand them; they're delicious plain or with butter. Adding finely chopped blueberries to the batter—in addition to whole berries—is the key to these moist, flavorful muffins. They freeze well, so make an extra batch for hurried mornings.

These pumpkin muffins are light and fluffy.

"America needs more bran," says food editor Ian Knauer. It's hard to argue when your mouth is full of one of his crumbly, deliciously buttery bran muffins. Golden raisins add sunny bursts to this healthful snack.

The bread basket just became a little more exciting. These savory muffins are made with white cornmeal—favored over yellow by many southern cooks—and strewn with corn kernels and shreds of cheese. Albin considered putting jalapeño into the muffins but prefers the fresher, more vibrant color and flavor it offers in the butter.

These muffins arelike blueberry biscuits served in a cupcake cup. They're moist, delicious, and look pretty with violet-colored glaze. Full of omega-3s and 6s, antioxidants, and vitamins, they're great in the morning with a cup of tea, juice, or smoothie.

Flax is rich in substances that have been shown to protect against heart disease and cancer. It has a very mild taste and is good mixed into muffins and breads as well as sprinkled on cereal. This flax muffin recipe is one way to add a daily tablespoon of flaxseed to your breakfast and snacks. These muffins are remarkably sweet and moist, despite having no added fat. (The 3 grams of fat per muffin are from the health-protective fats in the ground flaxseed meal.)

In these tender, elegant cakes, the Italian dessert wine Vin Santo contributes intoxicating flavor that's played up by the addition of plump grapes.

These muffins are inspired by a favorite dessert: sticky toffee pudding. But they are revamped for breakfast and renamed with hope that as you present your beloved with a plate of these, you'll be invited to open your Filofax and check on next Friday night.

Just right for breakfast on the go, these muffins are subtly spiced, fluffy, and speckled with plenty of golden raisins.

This crowd-pleasing recipe was developed by Susan Baldassano, Director of Education at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City. For moist, tender muffins, use finely ground yellow cornmeal, such as that made by Arrowhead Mills. You can replace the blueberries with an equal amount of cranberries and increase the sugar to 2 tablespoons, or replace the blueberries with 3/4 cup of raspberries.These muffins are delicious on their own, or try them warm with butter and jam. Cooled muffins can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to three days or frozen for up to three weeks. Thaw and reheat muffins in 350°F oven or microwave (unlike those made with wheat, gluten-free baked goods won't get tough in the microwave). See our related story for more information and sources for gluten-free ingredients.

These muffins truly give the flavor of corn its due. They're not sweetened like corn bread (meaning like "Yankee" corn bread, says Peacock), and they have a very fine, almost custardy texture, from the extra-fine grind of the cornmeal (which makes them reminiscent of spoon bread). "Honey and soft butter play to the creamy, tangy flavor of the muffins particularly well," says Peacock.

If your dried cranberries aren't plump and moist, cover them with boiling water and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain them and pat dry before using. If you prefer, walnuts or hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans.

In Mexico, a quesadilla is more like what we think of as a grilled cheese sandwich, but with tortillas instead of bread. In Guatemala, these sweet little cheese things are like buttery cupcakes, and they are baked as special-occasion treats for children who've had a good report card or lost a tooth.