Mincemeat Muffins

Great muffins for a holiday breakfast, or to serve with hot tea. The original recipe appeared several years ago in Bon Appetit, but has had a couple of changes. This recipe is from the talented Sidney Carlisle's article about Holiday Desserts Worth the Calories.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2/3 cup prepared mincemeat (jarred mincemeat)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place paper liners in a twelve-cup muffin pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, melted butter and orange peel, mixing well. Stir in the mincemeat. Add the flour, stirring just until blended. Do not over-mix. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake about 25 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffinss. Prep time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 25 minutes; Total time: 35 minutes