Poundcake Muffins
rec.food.cooking/JW (1997)
Recipe adapted from: Mostly Muffins" by B. Albright and L. Weiner
Makes 9 muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract -- optional
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease nine 3x1-1/4-inch (3-1/2 to 4-ounce) muffin cups ("regular" muffin cups).

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. In a 2-cup glass measure, melt butter in the microwave. (Don't forget to cover it while heating.) With a wire whisk, stir in sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon extract (if using). Whisk in the eggs until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add butter mixture and stir just to combine.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (Fill empty muffin cups half-full of water to keep the pan from warping, and to ensure that the muffins bake evenly.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (I bake them for only 20 minutes -jlw), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven, and place the muffin tin on a wire rack. Cool 5 minutes before removing muffins from cups; finish cooling on wire rack. Serve warm, or store completely cooled in an airtight container at room temperature. These muffins freeze well.

(The original recipe specified lightly salted butter or margarine instead of unsalted butter. The butter was softened instead of melted, and the ingredients were combined differently. -jlw)