Who doesn't enjoy a good muffin? Great for breakfast and great for a snack and also a great way to use a simple recipe to provide a lot of variety to your taste buds.
It’s time to jump head first into the meat of this blog. I promised witchiness and here’s where we're going to get started! My favourite thing to do is find a simple base recipe that I can add new flavours, and therefore correspondences, to. Baking is the easiest, hence why we're starting with muffins, but I want to expand your horizons past that too. But all of that for another day.
I’ll start with the simple muffin recipe and then below I’ll give some ways to spruce it up. For everyone not here for kitchen witchery you’ll get something out of it too so please stick around. That or your muffins are going to be very sad and loveless!
BASIC MUFFIN BATTER BASE
2 cups AP flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 lrg egg
¼ vegetable or canola oil
Butter, oil or, cooking spray for greasing your pan
The directions on this are relatively simple. But remember that it is important to read through all directions before beginning a recipe, time is important on this one.
Preheat your oven to 400. It is important that your oven is ready when you’ve finished mixingStart by mixing your dry ingredients together.
** pro tip **
if you desire lighter muffins sifting your ingredients here is ideal, i
don’t mind a dense muffin so i don’t this is up to personal preference
Mix your wet ingredients separately.
Add wet to dry and stir only until combined. Your batter should be lumpy. Over mixing causes chewy muffins and chewy muffins are far less desirable. Don’t be afraid if you can still see little spots of dry ingredients, they will soak in on their own, i promise.
** witchy tip ** don't forget to stir in your intentions! Clockwise to invite and counter clockwise to banish.
Grease your pan with desired... well… grease and fill your cups ¾ of the
way full. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Your muffins should be lightly
browned.
** pro tip ** not SO pro but remember that a toothpick can be skewered into the middle of a muffin to test its doneness, if it comes out clean you're good to go.You’ll notice something is missing above; we’ve completed absolutely plain muffins. This is where the fun begins!
In the pictures above you’ll see a few things amiss. I had some extra bits thrown in. I made ginger pecan muffins. The reason I left these ingredients out is because I wanted to talk about variety down here. You can add whatever you'd like to your muffins and even better you can make each muffin a little different if your household or guests are picky! And for my witchy friends you can choose ingredients to correspond with your intentions. Here are some of my favourites but feel free to mix and match! I’d love to see what you cook up!
The amount of extra ingredients you want to add is really up to your personal preference but my suggestions are: about ¾ cup chunky bits (nuts, chips, fruits etc.), about 2 tsp spices, and/or a tbsp of liquid. Be careful with liquids as they will throw off the ratios. I usually substitute for equal parts milk or add dry ingredients like oats along with it. You also have the option of just adding extra ingredients to the muffin tin and you can kind of eyeball that, I sprinkle on top until it's mostly covered and then quickly mix them in.
** pro tip ** if you're adding spices throw them in with your dry
ingredients, if you're adding liquid ingredients throw them in with your
wet ingredients and, if you're adding chunkier ingredients make them
one of the last things you add. Gently fold with your last few stirs or
simply push them into the batter after you’ve filled your pan.Craisin Orange
I like to soak my craisins in a little orange juice to avoid them sucking moisture from the batter and then I replace about 2 tbsp of milk with orange juice.
Oranges
Masculine
Fire
Sun
Zeus, Hesperides, Hercules (this was a difficult research project but there is a story surrounding oranges including these Greek figures)
Luck, wealth, divination, love, prosperity
Cranberries
Feminine
Water/Fire
Mars
Astarte
Abundance, energy, healing, love
Cranberry and Orange Together
Your best bet for this combination is to bring love back into your life whether with your partner or your family. Especially if an event has caused some tension the bright energy and healing coming from these ingredients is sure to lighten the mood and provide a safe space for healing. Be careful with the energy you put into these muffins though, do not make them while still fuming as their fiery energy may lend easier to anger than happiness.
Ginger Pecan
I used fresh ginger and used a micro plane to mince it but ground ginger is good too. I mixed in pecan pieces as well as placed some on top for aesthetic
** witchy tip ** you can say a little incantation or affirmation as you place each piece on top to seal your intentions
Ginger
Fire
Speed things up, adding power, add passion
Pecans
Longevity, prosperity, spiritual purification, protection
Ginger and Pecans Together
When you feel like your energy is a little off these muffins should help perk you back up. The ginger acts as a catalyst to push that spiritual purification from the pecans. Keep ginger in your back pocket for a little boost in your kitchen witchery along with its best friend cinnamon.
Blueberry and Thyme
** pro tip ** try rolling your blueberries in sugar or flour to get them to stay afloat in your batter, sugar will also add sweetness so keep that in mind.
Thyme
Feminine
Water
Venus
Freya, Aphrodite and Ares
Strength, courage, staying power and positivity, faerie offerings, spring festivals for beginning anew
Blueberries
Feminine
Water
Venus
The Hunter, dark lord, Lugh
Protection, psychic strength
Blueberries and Thyme Together
Best for when you're feeling a mental drain. The thyme provides you with the strength and courage to keep going and the blueberries provide you with targeted psychic protection.
In addition to this a great TIME for them is early spring especially around the early sabbats if you're into that kind of thing. Both thyme and berries are much appreciated by the Fae and so one of these muffins would make a perfect offering on Beltane or Lughnasadh.
Chocolate chip
Everyone's favourite. Try bittersweet, dark, milk, white! Try mixing them together or adding other bits like nuts or fruit.
Chocolate
Really cool that I found associations for all different types of chocolate but for now I'm going to pass along Cacao Nibs and anything that shows up for all/ most. Maybe I should do a special spotlight on the different types of chocolate? Let me know in the comments if that's something you're interested in.
Feminine
Fire
Earth, Sun, Uranus
Grounding prosperity ancestors friendship and love
Comfort food! Any comfort food can be used as just that. Mix in some feelings of home and positive relationships. Its grounding properties add to this feeling of safety at home. And don’t forget your ancestors; chocolate is a great offering option for them!
If you want these to be a little more on the romance side of things add some cinnamon for a fiery boost!
Maple and Oats
I’m letting my Canadian show. But seriously: delicious and nutritious.
Maple
Feminine
Water
Moon and Jupiter
Travel, learning decision making, spiritual healing, soothing the psyche
Oats
I couldn't find anything on the metaphysical properties but when I think about oats I think about hardiness and sticking power. I always associate them with being filling so fulfillment seems like an appropriate attribute as well.
Maple and Oats together
In these muffins I see the oats filling you up and getting you ready for a coming change and the maple giving you the ability to make the decision and stop riding the fence on that said change. So if there is something you're trying to make a decision on eat one of these muffins and then sit down with a pros and cons list.
A quick note: don’t come at me about gender! We’re talking feminine and masculine energy which are akin to yin and yang not male and female. This has been your friendly inclusivity announcement.
Don't forget to tag me to pictures of the creative creations you bake on Instagram @cooking_with_spirit and don't forget to tell me what intentions you've stirred up
The Short and Gritty
Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 lrg egg
¼ vegetable or canola oil
Butter or oil for greasing your pan
+flavour bits
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. Mix your dry ingredients together
3. Mix your wet ingredients together
4. Mix just until combined; do not over mix
5. Fill muffin tin cups ¾
6. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean
7. Rest for 5 minutes, cool on cooling rack
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