Butter Rum Muffin Recipe – Quick, Easy, And Delicious

 

When I was a child one of the candies I loved most was Lifesavers. There was something really magical about that hard candy with the hole in the middle. You could stick your fingers in the holes and pretend they were odd shaped fingernails, string them up yarn for a necklace, etc. My favorite flavor as a child was Butter Rum.  

I don't know why, really. It was just the flavor that I enjoyed most.  All buttery, sweet, and almost caramel-like. I did not know what rum tasted like, so I had no comparison.  I just knew that I loved that flavor combination.  I still do. I also love Rum & Raisin Ice Cream when I can get it.

It has been many, many years since I have seen Lifesavers, although I am sure they are still around. When I saw this Butter Rum Muffin Recipe, it immediately made me think of those candies and I knew I had to bake them!

 

I added a sugar/butter topping to the finished muffins. A bit of a buttery sugar crust.  Just to the tops of them.  Its quite optional but very easily done. Simply brush the tops of the warm baked muffins with melted butter and dip into sugar.  Very nice. I promise.

These bake up as lovely muffins with a beautiful moist texture. The flavor of the butter combined with the rum is rich and delicious. The aroma of them baking will make your house smell all warm and cozy.

Quick and easy to make, and oh-so-tasty! I will be baking these again!!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTER RUM MUFFINS

All of the usual suspects with the exception of a bit of rum. If you don't have any rum, simply add 1/4 cup of water to which you have added some rum extract. Not quite as good as the real thing, but the muffins will still be delicious. True confessions here, I used Brandy as Brandy is what I had in the cupboard, and I added 1 tsp of rum extract along with 1 tsp of vanilla.

For the muffins:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 cup (192g) granulated sugar (in the U.K. use castor sugar)
• 1 TBS (11g) baking powder (this is correct)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) dark rum
• 2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (48g) granulated sugar

I used salted butter and whole milk as that is all I keep in my house.  Farm fresh eggs. I make my own vanilla extract. It's very nice.

I think these would be lovely with some plumped up raisins added. Simply soak them for about 10 or 15 minutes in some hot water or rum. About 1/2 cup/75g of raisins (before plumping) will do. 

 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER RUM MUFFINS

These go together in much the same way as any muffin.  The sugar coating on top is optional, but very nice. 

• Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin (medium muffins) really well, or line with baking papers.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl until well combined.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, rum, vanilla extract and melted butter together in a beaker.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet. Stir together just to combine. Do not overmix. There should be no dry streaks, but the batter will be lumpy. That is quite all right.

 

• Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups about 3/4 full. (I do it until they are about 1/4 inch from the tops of the muffin cups.)
• Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. If not, bake for a few more minutes.
• Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes before removing to a wire rack.
• For the optional sugar topping: As soon as you can handle them brush the tops only of each one with some of the melted butter and roll them lightly in the granulated sugar.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

HINTS & TIPS FOR PERFECT MUFFINS

Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your muffins turn out beautifully every time:

1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine. 

 2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.

 3. Add your flavors last.  While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.  

4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, do use paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer. 

 5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round tops and to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups.  Often if your tins are over filled the muffins will rise to the top and then collapse on themselves.

 6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top.  Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping, even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As the muffins rise these toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.  

7. Protect your baking pan.  If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will help to protect your pan from buckling. 

8. Cooling them down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan. 

9. Freeze extras for later. Muffins freeze beautifully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're baked, wrap them in plastic wrap  tightly,  and put them in the freezer for later. They will keep for about 3 months and reheat wonderfully in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high from frozen. 

 

OTHER MUFFIN RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY

SPECIAL K BREAKAST MUFFINS - These are the PERFECT breakfast muffins. Quick and easy to make. Delicious. I highly recommend. Simple and filled with fiber. You can use ordinary Special K cereal, or you can be a bit more extravagant and use one of the varieties which contain fruit.  This recipe makes half a dozen fabulous muffins. 

SIX WEEK REFRIGERATOR BRAN MUFFINS - There is nothing like having a great muffin batter in the refrigerator, mixed and ready to bake. This is an adaptation of a very old recipe and has been pleasing women and their families for many years. This was the muffin recipe that I had to bake for my female employer every day that I worked at the Manor. She liked them baked in mini muffin tins and would eat three of them every single morning.  They are delicious. 

  

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Yield: 12 delicious muffins

Author: Marie Rayner

Butter Rum Muffins

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

These are fabulous muffins. Soft and light, they have a beautiful flavor. The butter sugar topping is optional, but I will tell you it is very nice! Have all of your ingredients at room temperature before beginning.

Ingredients

For the muffins

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 cup (192g) granulated sugar (in the U.K. use castor sugar)
• 1 TBS (11g) baking powder (this is correct)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) dark rum
• 2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (48g) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin (medium muffins) really well, or line with baking papers.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl until well combined.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk, rum, vanilla extract and melted butter together in a beaker.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet. Stir together just to combine. Do not overmix. There should be no dry streaks, but the batter will be lumpy. That is quite all right.
5. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups about 3/4 full. (I do it until they are about 1/4 inch from the tops of the muffin cups.)
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. If not, bake for a few more minutes.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes before removing to a wire rack.
8. For the optional sugar topping: As soon as you can handle them brush the tops only of each one with some of the melted butter and roll them lightly in the granulated sugar.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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