Back of the Box Cookery: Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins

I find back of the box recipes to be reliably good and easy to put together. This recipe, from the back of the Albers' cornmeal box, is a dream to make: put the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another, then mix them together and bake. They pop out of the muffin tins with ease and are a mix of crisp edges, light crumb and crunchy cornmeal. I also add a dollop of raspberry jam in the center of the muffin batter before baking to really tart up the muffin and turn it into breakfast food with a bit of heft.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup raspberry jam


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 18 to 20 muffin cups.
Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowls. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Drop in 1 teaspoon raspberry jam onto center of muffin batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm.