Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

It's interesting that I start out this recipe/food blog with this, mainly because it's made from a box. I know what you're thinking. Sure there are plenty of people who make up breads and muffins from scratch. Those people have nothing better to do with their time,  don't run their own business, or their business is making muffins for a living. I'm busy, and I assume you are as well. If you are not busy, and just lazy, that's OK too.

Boxed mixes get a bad rap from people who are serious about cooking, but they are quick, easy and, with some tweaks, can be very good. I assume their bad reputation comes from the fact that serious bakers were at some point personally pantsed by Betty Crocker while at a grade school assembly. Some cuts run deep.

My mother (an excellent cook who has studied/taught cooking in several countries) makes her blueberry muffins from a boxed mix. The Barefoot Contessa has her own boxed mixes. Stop looking down your nose at at this post and judging me over the internet!

Inferiority complex aside, I do spice up boxed mixes in my own way to improve both taste and mouthfeel of the finished baked good. These muffins were made with the Baker's Corner Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread mix. I often use cake and bread mixes when I make muffins. The trick to altering the recipes on the box is to substitute heavy cream for water and honey for the oil. This works on any boxed mix I have come up against (except maybe boxed potatoes). NOTE: adding honey will make whatever you bake brown faster and more deeply, so keep an eye on it. Now, the recipe.

CINNAMON SWIRL MUFFINS:
One Box Baker's Corner Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread ($1.49)
2 Eggs (12 eggs $1.59)
3/4 cup Heavy Cream ($1.89)
3 Tablespoons Honey (12 oz. $2.49)
Cooking Spray ($1.29)

Spray down the muffin tin and heat the oven to 350. Now the easy part. Follow the directions on the box. Substitute the cream for water and honey for oil and combine all the ingredients with the mix powder. Stir to combine. Then pour the batter into the muffin tin filling the cups 1/4 way, then use 1/2 the cinnamon packet to top the batter. Fill the muffin cups the with the rest of the batter and top with the remaining cinnamon. Now bake. As i said, the honey will cause quicker browning, so watch those puppies. The box said 45 minutes, mine were done in 38. I listed out the ingredients called for the cinnamon bread, but you could do this with banana bread, or blueberry muffins. When the muffins are done you can top them with the icing when they are cool if you like, but I didn't. Enjoy your muffins!