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I found a recipe for blueberry muffins that sounds good, but it says to "fill the empty muffin cups halfway with water" (after either lining with paper muffin cups or spraying with nonstick spray). This sounds strange to me -- do you just plop the batter right down into the water???? I was hoping someone on this board could explain? Thanks.

I suspect that "water" should say "batter" instead.

I agree...sounds like it should read "batter".

I agree -- sometimes the computer changes words when you make a mistake -- perhaps they typed "bater" and the computer changed it to "water" -- I've had that happen -- and it's happened on this board!!!

Martha

Thank you all for the quick responses. You're all probably right, but it's the way the recipe is written that threw me. The recipe is on a card that fits in a 3-ring binder. (I probably got it free in the mail long ago). After the list of ingredients, the recipe is broken down into four steps. The first step says to preheat the oven, line the muffin pan with paper cups or nonstick spray, then fill cups halfway with water. The second step is how to mix the ingredients. Third, add the blueberries. And fourth, "Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups."

I've never made muffins before so I thought maybe this was some kind of technique that I had never heard of, but I think I'll just skip this step! Thanks again for the responses!

The recipes that say fil the EMPTY muffing holes with water 1/2 full and the rest 1/2 full with batter.

quote:

Originally posted by flboy:
The recipes that say fil the EMPTY muffing holes with water 1/2 full and the rest 1/2 full with batter.

What do you suppose the purpose of water in the empty cups is for? Protect the pan from warping or darkening because of empty cups?
Never heard of this.
My problem is I never know how many the recipe will make, so I spray all cups and then a few get left empty and darken because of the baked on oil.

Oh, I was taught to fill the empties with water -- I do sometimes and I don't sometimes. Mostly it depends on my mood and if I've greased the cups -- for I guess sometimes I fill them a trifle too full and so instead of 12 muffins I get only 10!

Does this make only six muffins perchance?

Martha

Thank you!! I re-read the recipe, and it makes sense now. It says to line a muffin pan with 10 paper muffin cups. Then it says to fill "empty" cups halfway with water. I guess they're assuming you're using a pan that holds 12 muffins and the recipe only makes 10, so fill the 2 remaining empty cups halfway with water. To my way of thinking, all the cups were "empty" until you put the batter in. Ha! Thanks again for solving my mystery -- I would have never figured that out on my own!

I think the reason for filling the empty cups (any time all cups are not filled)is for the pan to stay even on the surface bottom of every part of cooking surface.