Streusel topping:
4 tablespoons tightly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola or corn oil
4 tablespoons chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)
Muffins:
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk
¾ cup canola or corn oil
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Tools:
Measuring cups and spoons
12-cup standard muffin pan
Paper liners
1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large bowl
Table spoon
Whisk
Spring-loaded ice-cream scoop (optional): 1 tablespoon
Toothpick
Oven mitts
Cooling rack
1. Before you begin
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Make the streusel topping
Put the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir with the spoon to mix. Add the oil and stir, smashing any large lumps, until the mixture is an even brown and looks like damp sand. Stir in the nuts. Set aside.
3. Make the muffin batter
Put the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in the large bowl and whisk to blend well. Put the buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla in the medium bowl. Whisk to blend evenly.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well. Whisk gently at first, and then more vigorously until you have a smooth batter. A few small lumps are okay.
4. Fill the cups and bake
Put a tablespoon of batter in each cup. Top with a generous teaspoon of the streusel topping. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the cups, about 2 additional tablespoons in each cup. The batter will fill the cups a little over halfway. Sprinkle a generous teaspoon of the streusel mixture over the top of each muffin.
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Using oven mitts, transfer the pan to the cooling rack.
Bella's tip: I like to use a 1-tablespoon-size ice-cream scoop to fill the cups—it keeps things neat and easy. I put one scoop in the bottom, then streusel, then 2 more scoops on top, then more streusel. It goes fast with the scoop.
From Baking Kids Love by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet/Andrews McMeel Publishing
11-year-old Isabella Robinson dishes how she got her start. And, tips and tricks to bake like a pro!
A Regular Baking Betty
“I started when I was 2-years-old. I used to stand on a stepstool next to my mom and help her bake. Well, mostly I tried to eat chocolate when she wasn't looking, but I was also good at stirring and kneading bread dough.”
The Inside Scoop
“When you're making cookies, use a small ice cream scoop to shape your cookies. And make sure your oven is finished heating up - it usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes. If the oven isn't hot enough, it can't bake your bread or pastry properly, and you'll get a sad, melted result.”
Piece o’ Cake
“If it's still good enough to eat, slather some yummy frosting on top - a layer of frosting can hide a lot of problems. Then, turn down the lights and say, ‘bon appetit!’”
Food for Thought
“Bake with all your heart and practice baking as often as you can. The more you bake, the better you get. Follow your dreams and never, ever, ever give up.”