The Basic I-Hate-To-Cook Muffins

Two ingredients. One bowl. Twelve minutes in the oven. The genius (and the joke) of these muffins is right there in the name; they’re for people who would rather do almost anything else than cook. A cup of beer and two cups of buttermilk baking mix get stirred together until just combined, then dropped into muffin tins.

The carbonation in the beer activates the leavening already in the baking mix, giving you a surprisingly tender, slightly yeasty muffin with no eggs, no butter, no measuring of multiple dry ingredients. The beer’s malt sweetness comes through subtly; it doesn’t taste boozy because the alcohol cooks off in the oven.

The one rule, and it’s the only rule that matters, is barely-mix. Treat the batter like cold-weather muffin batter: stir until the lumps are mostly gone but no more. Overmix and the gluten in the baking mix develops, turning these into rubbery hockey pucks. A few flour streaks in the bowl is exactly right.

Variations

• Use a darker beer like stout or porter for richer, almost soda-bread flavor.
• Stir ½ cup grated cheddar into the batter for savory cheese muffins.
• Add 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ cup blueberries for a sweeter version.