I am a little bit hesitant to post this recipe as it's such a signature recipe of mine and I'm a little possessive of it (who wants to give away all their best secrets?), but because blogging is all about sharing, I will oblige. It actually comes from my mom. Where she got it from I can't say for sure, but it's pretty safe to say that each cook makes it their own. 

Before I get to the recipe though, I have a confession to make..... 

I am a bit of a rebel. 

I'm the kind of person who reads a label on their sheets that says "Wash in cold water - Save the environment" and I do not like it.

Now, I don't know exactly if my rebellious nature is to blame in this next case (it could also be that I am a visual person, a creative person who needs to put my personal mark on things, or am just a poor reader in general), but for some reason I am almost completely incapable of following recipes. 

I find myself going back and forth, back and forth reading the same line of directions over and over, yet I still often get the measurements wrong or forget an ingredient or step. I also feel a compulsion to add things that are not in the recipe. Following a recipe to the tee feels like painting by numbers. *Yawn*

Just give me an idea of what to make and a general direction on how to get there and I'll figure out the rest. Sometimes it turns out fantastic and sometimes it flops, but it's always original!

That's where this recipe comes in. It is simple, it is just about fool-proof, and best of all it is a wide open book. You can choose what type of fruit (or non fruit) to put in this recipe. You can even choose what kind of flour, oil, liquid, or sweetener to add if you are adventurous. Buckwheat Boysenberry Beet Muffins, anyone? ... yes, I've really made that. And, if you are a rebel like me, this recipe is so non-dictative that it doesn't even tell you how long to cook it for! 

In case you want more details or are the kind of person who likes being told what to do:

For the muffin in the picture I used sugar instead of honey (honestly I haven't used honey for this recipe since I lived with my mom who used to buy bulk honey by the gallon), I used 3 mashed overripe bananas as the fruit (which was more that 1 cups worth of fruit), I added ginger powder and cardamon, and I sprinkled crushed walnuts on the top (which came out deliciously roasted and tasted amazing, btw). 

Another delicious way to use the recipe is to use peeled, diced apples tossed in cinnamon/sugar for the fruit. 

It is also a great way to reuse leftover oatmeal. Just use the leftover oatmeal in place of the fruit. 

Don't be afraid to play around with the recipe. 

Personally, I like to fold the ingredients together gently and mix as little as possible so that there are still a few ribbons of dry flour and sugar in the batter. It just gives it a more rustic feel that looks like it came out of a trendy cafe.

You really can't go too wrong except if you don't let it cook long enough. For a while I thought the recipe stopped working for me because the muffins kept collapsing when I'd take them out of the oven, but I think it was because for some reason I had it in my head that they took a certain amount of time to cook (which wasn't long enough). I know it might be hard to swallow for some people, but you really just have to let them cook on their own time. Drier batter will be quicker, wetter batter will take longer.

The best way to tell the muffins are ready is by smell. They give off a nice baking smell when they are ready, so give them a chance to do that if you aren't sure if they're ready yet. 

I hope you like this recipe. If you give it a try let me know in the comments what you thought of it and what crazy (or safe) combos you came up with!