Maple Muffins

These were not quite as yellow in person; they were more of a warm yet pale brown.

These maple muffins are from Sarabeth's Bakery cookbook. They are dense but not overly heavy and they are sweet but not overly sugary. The maple syrup is sweet but with a complexity and deep, warm flavor that is lacking in regular sugar. They are a perfect thing to eat with a cup of tea (or apple cider) on a cold fall day. I believe this was supposed to make normal size muffins. Instead, I made a multitude of mini muffins and 3 mini loaves. I wrapped the loaves in foil, put them in a freezer ziploc bag, and froze them. I kept them about a month and just defrosted them overnight in the fridge. I took them out, let them come to room temp, unwrapped them, sliced them, and tentatively took a bite. They were just as good as the fresh muffins were a month ago. Okay, maybe they were slightly less fresh tasting, but honestly they were still very good and the difference was minor at most.

A note on maple syrup: many baking recipes call for grade B maple syrup. The grades unlike for many other foods, don't refer to how good or fresh the syrup is, instead they refer to how translucent it is. Grade B the darkest and therefore has a stronger flavor than the three subdivisions of Grade A (light, medium, and dark). It is a little strong to use on pancakes (typically Grade A light or medium amber is used for eating) but it is perfect for baking. It can be a little hard to find, so if you can't find it, use Grade A dark amber. Never ever use fake syrups (like Aunt Jemima); they are good for pancakes but bad for baking.