I read a recent article on MSNBC about common mistakes people make when following recipes. I have said it before and I will most definitely say it again: I am not a cook. I haven’t let that little teensy, weensy fact stop me from bravely attempting numerous recipes- some of which come out better than others.

All of the tips,  which included suggestions like “Don’t Overheat” and “Read the recipe” were pretty straightforward. However, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily agreed with everything the writer suggested, especially the tip, “Do not substitute.” Maybe it works in most cases, but when I make muffins, which are my specialty, the substitutions are what makes the muffins delicious.

I use the Betty Crocker cookbook for my muffin recipes, but there are numerous variations of the basic recipe all over the Internet with basically the same ingredients in slightly different portions. Although I am not a master-baker, I am confident in my ability to bake excellent muffins and am going to share some of my substitution tips with you.  

• I prefer butter to Canola oil or any other type of vegetable oil, so that is my first substitution in the recipe. If the recipe calls for 1/4 cup Vegetable oil, I substitute by using 1/8th cup of vegetable oil, and 1/8th cup of butter.

• If I am making Banana Muffins, I use  a minimum of 3-4 overripe bananas and cook the muffins a little longer because I prefer my muffins dense and moist. I learned this little trick through years of making Banana Bread.

• Because I’ve added more banana, the muffins are usually sweet enough, so I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup or even less if I am feeling that my own muffin top is getting a little too big.

• In trying to be healthy, I also substitute the ordinary bleached flour with whole wheat flour, which is supposedly healthier.
  

• Along the same lines of thinking, I sometimes add a bit of Flax Seed to the recipe, which adds to the overall healthiness of the muffins, but not necessarily the taste.

• Nuts are also a great addition to the muffins and you can substitute any berry for any berry of about the same size, or add chocolate chips if you are craving some chocolate.

Image from Flickr Creative Commons License.