Making Muffins is Easy, Comforting
2 min readBY SARAH KELLEY
The simple things in life, like muffins, are what truly count.
Change comes as quickly as the seasons pass. The autumn will soon turn to winter. Before long the morning ground will be covered with a glint of frost, the breeze felt in the air will become bitter with cold.
We have only three weeks left in the semester, and we are counting down the days until the arrival of the much needed winter break.
We seek motivation to propel us through these arduous days with the promise of something better to come. We look forward to the excitement of the holiday season and our soon approaching summer plans; we imagine the paths our lives shall take in the forthcoming years. It is important to look toward all the possibilities the future has to offer us, but what is the sense in going through life wishing the days away?
We should appreciate every moment in our lives at the present. Every so often it is necessary to take a step back and evaluate our priorities, to question what is truly important in our lives. I have included a recipe for the classic American muffin, a quintessential representation of the humble comfort that baking can offer. Baking can be a reminder of how even the most seemingly nominal pursuit can bring us joy.
Sometimes just knowing that a homemade muffin is waiting for you as you run out the door can make all the difference on a dim morning, when you lack the motivation to make it to an 8 a.m. class. I made these Nutella chocolate chip muffins for a friend’s birthday last week and they went down a treat with all.
These muffins, adapted from a recipe from “Martha Stewart Living,” have golden crisp tops balanced by dense hazelnut chocolate centers. I was inspired to add Nutella into these muffins after a time I spent living in Holland, where every day started with a slice of whole-grain toast with some of this dreamy spread. Although this recipe calls for chocolate, an ingredient I am quite keen on, you can really add whatever you like into the batter, from blueberries to butterscotch chips.
Muffins are one of the most effortless things to make, requiring only a few moments of mixing and twenty minutes in the oven.
I hope that you can share these muffins with those you care about, and take the time to be thankful for the day to day endeavors that make up true happiness. To quote Emily Dickinson “To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else.” The simple things in life, as in baking, are what truly matter.
