All-Star Muffins With Tons of Variations

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and lightly grease muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth. Fill muffin cups and bake for 18-24 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove them from the oven, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan to finish cooling on the rack. (Muffins left in the pan to cool will become tough from steaming.)

VARIATIONS: Apple Cinnamon: Peel and grate 3-4 tart apples, such as Granny Smiths or Jonathans. Fold into muffin patter with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar. Top muffins with more cinnamon sugar.

Apricot, Cherry, Cranberry, Date, or Raisin: Soak 2 cups of any of these dried fruits in 1/3 cup orange juice, water, rum, or bourbon, then fold into the muffin batter. Garnish muffin tops with chopped nuts, if desired.

Apple, Banana, Nectarine, Peach, or Plum: Dice 3 cups of any of these fruits and fold into batter before baking. Garnish muffin tops with sugar.

Blueberry, Raspberry, or Blackberry: Fold 2 cups batter before baking; sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: Add 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips to batter before baking. (Soften peanut butter in microwave before adding to batter.)

Banana Coconut: Add 2 diced bananas and 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes to batter before baking.

Date Nut: Add 1 1/2 cups each dates and pecans to batter before baking.

Maple Walnut: Add 1/2 cup maple sugar and 1 1/2-2 cups chopped walnuts to batter before baking.

Waldorf: Add 2 tart apples (peeled and grated), 1/2 cup chopped dates, and 1/2 cup chopped nuts to batter before baking.