How to Make Muffins without a Muffin Tin

By Amber Dubin

5/11/2010

English 393: Section 03

Prof. Linda Harris

Intro: Who? What? and Why?

Ice-cream cones can be used in lieu of a muffin tinThis method can be used for both Cupcakes and Muffins

For the purpose of this tutorial we will be making Strawberry Muffins using a recipe from Stonyfield Farms yogurt

What is this mysterious method of muffin making?

Who would make muffins this way?Anyone who has the resources and wants a healthy snackCollege kids or anyone else who doesn’t have a muffin tin

Why use it?Even if you own a muffin tin, this way makes muffins look festiveMore eco-friendly than cupcake paper and require less cleaning

Safety Concerns

Raw ingredients and improper sanitation methods can cause food poisoningHot surfaces can burn skinBeware of sharp objects

What You Need:

1 cup All-Purpose flour

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Stonyfield Farm yogurt

12 Flat-bottomed Cake Ice Cream cones

Some kind of flat baking sheet if no muffin tin is available

Two mixing bowls and basic cooking utensils

Ingredients for Stonyfield Farm strawberry muffins:

1 cup chopped strawberries

Step 1: Pre-preparations

Pre-heat oven to 375°F Start warming butter on stove on very low heat

Clean and chop up strawberries (most time-consuming step)

Leave in measuring cup until needed

Step 2: Combine IngredientsPart A: Mix together flour, sugar

and baking soda

Part C: Toss chopped strawberries into flour mixture

Part B: In a separate bowl mix eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla

Last: combine contents of two bowls and stir

Step 3: Pour into ConesThis may seem like the easiest step, but without a muffin tin, this is actually the on that requires the most careThe pan must be put in the oven ahead of time and each cone must be filled individually and placed on the pan to avoid imbalance on a flat panEach cone should be filled up to ½ or ¾ from the top of the cone to allow room for the batter to expand

Step 4: BakeBake for 20-25 minutes until tops of muffins are golden brown

When muffins are done, knife inserted into center should come out without batter on it

Burn warning: be sure to let cool before handling or eating

Step 5: Eat Them!

Decorate and enjoy!

General Problems

Muffins are temperamental: they require special environmental conditions to keep them in peak condition.

Muffin cones in particular should be eaten the day they are made because the moisture from the cake will cause the cones to lose their crispness

Their beauty is skin deep: even though sometimes the slightest mistake can make your muffins not come out looking the way you want them to, thankfully they should come out tasting just as good as long as the correct ingredients were used.

Troubleshooting

ProblemMuffins fall flat

Muffin or cupcake cones are top-heavy

Muffins Explode

CauseToo much yogurt

Too much icing plus the shape of the cone causes top-heaviness

Cone was over-filled or previously damaged

SolutionTry them anyway!

Use container that accounts for the height of the muffins

One full ice-cream scoop of batter per cone should be the perfect amount

Solution for Top-Heavy Muffins:

A container like this is perfect for keeping this type of muffin upright

FAQs: Overflows and Explosions

Being in contact with the hot pan will not cause the cones to crack or explodeMuffin explosions should not happen often as long as the cone is filled no higher than ½ inch below the rim of the cone

Filling to Prevent Overflow

Correct! Incorrect!

Questions?

Visit How to make a Cupcake cone at WikiHow at:http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Cupcake-Cone

For more specific instructions