6 T butter, softened 2 eggs
2 c unsifted flour 1 c sour cream
4 tsp double-acting baking powder 3 medium-sized firm ripe cooking
¼ tsp baking soda apples, 2 apples peeled, cored
½ tsp ground mace and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ tsp salt and 1 apple cored and cut length-
¼ c sugar wise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
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Preheat the oven to 425°. With a pastry brush, spread 2 T of softened
butter evenly inside 16 muffin cups (each cup should be about 2½ inches
across at the top). Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, mace and
salt, and sift them together into a bowl. Set aside.In a deep bowl, cream the remaining 4 T of butter and the sugar, beating and mashing them against the sides of the bowl with the back of a large spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, onen at a time. Then add about 1 cup of the flour mixture and, when it is well incorporated, beat in ½ cup of the sour cream. Repeat, beating in the remaining flour and then the rest of the cream and stir until the batter is smooth. Stir in the chopped apples and spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup about halfway to the top. Insert a slice of apple, peel side up, partway into the top of each muffin.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Turn the muffins out of the tins and serve at once. Makes about 16 muffins.
