Blend together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) as long and as vigorously as you want. Continue until all dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add the berries and nuts, and stir them until they are evenly coated with the dry ingredients.
2 cups All Purpose Flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbs baking powder, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup walnuts
In a separate bowl, beat the liquid ingredients together until they are light.
1 cup milk, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Here’s where you have to restrain yourself. Use a wire whisk and blend the two for 20 seconds and no more.
It’s okay if you’ve left some lumps that look as if they want more stirring. They really don’t. So just leave them alone.
Fill the cups of a lightly greased, 12-cup muffin tin three-quarters full.
As soon as the muffins are in the oven, turn the temperature down to 400. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re a lovely, golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. Best served warm.
When you put muffins in a very hot oven initially and then immediately drop the temperature, you help create the peaks that make them so appealing.