On any given Sunday morning, while listening to the pundits review and spin the news of the week, I’m doing my own whirl-in — with a whisk and a basic piece of bakeware in the kitchen. It’s a homey, engaging way to spend the morning and to help digest some of the events a little more sweetly.
Dolled up for the weekend, my muffins turn out glamorously rugged, laced as they are with banana, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, bran and two types of flour; two enrichments, buttermilk and sour cream, are strategically used for imparting a moist tenderness. These little quick breads are made from a friendly mix-and-stir batter, are mounded in the prepared cups and emerge plump and flavorful.
In any season, dried cranberries (dried tart cherries, snipped pitted dates or diced prunes are each a worthy exchange) do nicely, and firm summery berries would be lovely as well.
Muscovado and even plain granulated sugar can replace the turbinado variety, and plain yogurt is an easy swap for the sour cream. So, you see, this formula is somewhat flexible, and the mixture can even be baked as a single 9-inch-square layer, in which case, increase the baking time by 10 minutes or so until a wooden pick inserted an inch from the center withdraws clean or with a few moist crumbs.