This recipe for muffin squares is very easy! Muffin squares taste delicious—just like muffins, but you don't need to own a muffin tin to make them. Just a square baking pan. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
| 2 cups | all purpose flour | 230 grams (approx. 500 ml)
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| 3 teaspoons | baking powder | 15 ml
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| ¼ cup | sugar | 50 grams (approx. 60 ml)
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| ½ teaspoon | salt | 2 - 3 ml
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| ⅓ cup | light cooking oil | 80 ml
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| 1 cup | milk | 250 ml
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| 1 large | egg |
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Notes and equipment:
- Square baking pan: size is 8 " x 8". This is equivalent to 2 quarts, 2 litres, or 20 cm x 20 cm. I prefer a glass or CorningWare baking dish, since you can leave the muffin squares in the dish to cut them up. If you use a metal baking pan, you should turn the cooked muffin "loaf" out onto a plate or board before cutting it into squares; otherwise you will probably scratch the inside of your baking pan with the knife.
- Baking powder: make sure that you use baking powder and NOT baking soda. You can't substitute baking soda; it will give a bad taste. Also: make sure that you put in 3 level teaspoons of baking powder—NOT heaping teaspoons. Use a knife to level off the surplus baking powder.
- Light cooking oil: I recommend canola oil, corn oil, or light-tasting olive oil. You can also use melted butter or melted shortening; however, you should melt the butter/shortening on very low heat, and then let it cool to room temperature before using. Don't use hot melted butter/shortening.
- Milk: I use skim milk, to reduce the total calories. However, it will taste richer if you use whole (homogenized) milk, or even light cream.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Grease the bottom & sides of the pan; then lightly dust it with 1 or 2 Tbsps. (15 - 30 ml) of flour; shake out any excess flour.
- Into a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the sugar and salt.
- Break the egg into a somewhat smaller bowl, and beat it with a fork (or whisk) until the yolk and white are mixed together.
- To the beaten egg, add the milk gradually, whisking it until well mixed. Then add oil and mix well.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the milk/egg/oil mixture and quickly stir it in, but only until the flour mixture is moistened. Do not beat it: you want your batter to be lumpy.
- Pour the batter into the greased and floured square pan and put in the preheated oven.
- Bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean.
- Take out of oven and sit on cake rack to cool for 5 - 10 minutes. Invert onto a large plate and cut into squares.
Now you've got delicious, moist muffin squares hot out of the oven. Wonderful!
P.S. If you want to go really decadent, here's the "jam variant": at step #7 (i.e. just before you put it in the oven) dot all over the top with small amounts of your favourite jam—no more than ⅓ cup (80 ml) of jam in total. The jam will sink into the muffin squares, and you'll have delicious strawberry muffin squares or raspberry muffin squares, or whatever. Very decadent!
Disclaimer: while these recipes are the result of years of experience and/or lots of research, in the end they are just my personal preference. If you try something I suggest and it doesn't work for you, please don't sue me — I guarantee nothing. Best of luck!
Page created and maintained by A. Steinbergs
Last modified: Novemer 28, 2011