A tip for Reggie: you can make your own take-along muffin mix by combining
everything except wet ingredients, then adding juice/water/milk on site. If
you use powdered eggs (or egg whites) you can eliminate the need to buy an
odd number of eggs. Here's a recipie which my son makes a couple times a
year for holiday and end-of-school gifts. We package the mix in one zipper
bag, any add-ins (dried fruit, nuts) in a smaller one, and include a dozen
fancy muffin cups. It's a great gift!
ORANGE-CURRANT MUFFINS (Bon Appetit, 10/94)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter (very soft or melted & cooled)
1 Tblsp lemon peel
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
2 tsp. orange peel
3/4 cup dried fruit (we usually use cherries, but apricots or currants would
be nice too)
2 eggs
1 cup orange juice
To make mix: combine dry ingredients in work bowl of food processor; pulse
to blend. Add butter, extract & peels; pulse in brief bursts until mixture
resembles corn meal. Transfer to zipper bag & seal. Put dried fruit pieces
in small zipper bag and seal. Make instructions to add orange juice & eggs.
(If using dehydrated eggs, increase liquid appropriately.)
To bake, combine mix with necessary liquid ingredients; fold in fruit.
Divide among 12 muffin cups; bake at 400* about 25 minutes (tester comes out
clean).
You can apply the principles to any muffin recipie -- remember, for instance,
that applesauce comes in little 1/2 cup containers which are easily packed,
if you like apple (bran?) muffins.