What's your favourite muffin recipe of all time???

[Frozzie]

i had never heard of muffin tops either ie as a tin..just imagined people only buying hte tops of muffins lol

will have to check it out..they look kind of a cake cookie???

[andiesenji]

i had never heard of muffin tops either ie as a tin..just imagined people only buying hte tops of muffins lol

will have to check it out..they look kind of a cake cookie???

The ones in the photos are just thick enough that they can be split horizontally and "filled" with whatever one desires.



Here spread with my homemade clotted cream.

[Frozzie]

thanks andie yum...ive seen similar type tins in france but they are smaller like for tartelettes so may have to go via the net internationally ..thanks for the photos and love the idea of cutting them and filling them ...mmmmmmm 

[andiesenji]

I also use the pans for "Cornish splits"  which are just a bit denser and chewier. (and made with yeast)

[the_vermins]

http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Whole-Orange-Muffins-L10184.html
This is my latest favourite muffin.  Yum yum.

[cathy79]

Thanks for all the recipe ideas.  Do you think there's a market for homemade muffins?  Or do people either make them or buy them from anywhere (coles and woollies etc) and are happy with the quality and ingredients of bought muffins?

[Cuilidh]

I think there is definitely a market for home made muffins – I am sure lots of small cafes would love to enter into some sort of agreement with you about this, however, the words “Commercial Kitchen”, “costs” and “time” loom large in my mind as an immediate response to your query.

If you wanted to go ahead with your idea (which I think is fabulous, by the way) you would have to be very sure of your circumstances and do a bit of research – in just the same way as you would if you were starting up any new business. 

I am a small business owner so we have come up against most, if not all, of these problems over the years.  I am not wanting to sound negative, I am just concerned that you go into this with your eyes open and realise that there is probably more involved than your love of baking (and of good muffins!).

There are so many factors, getting a commitment from one or more regular customers (i.e. cafés), ensuring that you put firm conditions in place to get paid on time, sourcing appropriate supplies, delivery of the muffins, health and safety, etc.  Then there is pricing to consider and there may also be tax implications.  If you haven’t already done some sort of commercial or cooking course it may well be a good idea to look into this as well as you will get heaps of help and useful information.

Hope I haven’t put you off – as I said, I am sure there is a good market out there and it’s a good idea, but do the research carefully first before you commit to anything and good luck.  Let us know if you decide to go ahead.

[cookie1]

There is nothing like a good home made muffin.

[cathy79]

Thanks for the informative reply Cuilidh.  I have been to the local council to find out a bit about it, and I was a little naive about the startup process.  I had thought that there might be a scale of operation that doesn't require "commercial kitchen" etc, but that's not the case.

Am continuing to research this as I'd love to be able to do something along this line.  I'm particularly interested in helping parents to feed their children less additives etc and educating in this area.  If it's a time factor, then that would be something that I could help solve by supplying them what they'd prefer their kids to eat.

What would be perfect would be a commercial kitchen that is not being used in the early hours that could be rented at an economical fee.  Anyway it's still a bit of a dream.

[Frozzie]

Cathy. Goodluck and dreams and ideas all start somewhere.. Great idea... A woman here did thé same thing with Homemade biscuits and it was a huge hit... People love homemade organic natural cooking... Well hère anyway....i think its important to alot of parents these days and would suggest some différent élément like organic and différent flavours to compete with other commercial muffins... Id also ne asking people whats important to them in something like a muffin...again good luck 

[judydawn]

Good luck from me too Cathy. I wasn't sure where you were heading with this thread but it all came out in the wash eventually. Take your idea and run with it if at all possible. Muffins are so easy to make and healthy ones would have to be popular.

[andiesenji]

I did have a certified commercial kitchen for several years when I did catering and contract baking but prior to that I made arrangements to use certified kitchens in private church schools.  Their kitchens are not in use all the time and they were always glad to get the money.  I paid for insurance to cover any damage to the equipment and insurance to cover my helpers, after I got busy enough and could afford them.

It is most important to get your sourcing for ingredients set so you can keep your costs in reason.   Far too often people starting out forget to add in some expenses and that can mean the difference between success and failure. 
You should be able to find plenty of information on all aspects.

I started out working part time as a personal chef and then catering on the client's premises so I didn't have to have a commercial kitchen.  Only after I got some regular clients and was booked well in advance, did I begin renting kitchen space.
One of the cooks at the church school also wanted to start a small business selling packaged lunches so we got together on renting the space and would help each other when needed.  We also were able to get better deals on supplies by buying in larger quantities. 

[pumpkin pie]

Thanks for the informative reply Cuilidh.  I have been to the local council to find out a bit about it, and I was a little naive about the startup process.  I had thought that there might be a scale of operation that doesn't require "commercial kitchen" etc, but that's not the case.

Am continuing to research this as I'd love to be able to do something along this line.  I'm particularly interested in helping parents to feed their children less additives etc and educating in this area.  If it's a time factor, then that would be something that I could help solve by supplying them what they'd prefer their kids to eat.

What would be perfect would be a commercial kitchen that is not being used in the early hours that could be rented at an economical fee.  Anyway it's still a bit of a dream.

  Cathy79  Here in SA we have meals on wheels, who supply meals to people in their homes. They are usually within most council areas and they have kitchens that have been approved by council already. As they are only used for certain times during the day, they mabe interested in renting out the kitchen for a fee. Worth a try anyway. Good Luck

[KarenH]

YAY!  Got the muffin top tins finally and cant wait to try them out.  Couple of questions for those that use them:  do you cook the muffins for a shorter period of time because there is less batter in each hole?  Also, do you reduce the quantity of the recipe since there is less batter in each hole, or do you just make more?

[cookie1]

KJH I found that I got 13-15 muffin tops from a muffin recipe. I cooked them 8-10 minutes but my oven can be a bit hot. I took the muffin tops out of their tin and then waved the tin around in the air to cool it and then put the next 6 in the oven.