Sour Cream Muffins

She was born. Our daughter. I am writing this from the hospital room because I need to write something about this moment while it is completely real and not yet processed into something I can manage.

She weighs seven pounds and eleven ounces. She has Tyler nose. She has a very small amount of dark hair. She was put into my arms and she was the most complete thing I have ever held and I understood in that moment, not gradually but all at once, every single story I have ever heard about this feeling. All at once.

Tyler cried. He does not usually cry. He cried twice today. The second time was when I said her name out loud for the first time with her in the room. We have not told anyone the name yet. We will tell people when we see them. But I said it to her and Tyler heard it and cried and I looked at him and said: it is right, yes. He said: it is perfect.

I called Gloria from the hospital room. She answered immediately. I said: she is here. Gloria said: tell me. I described everything. Her weight. Her hair. Her nose. Her very small hands. When I finished Gloria was quiet for a moment and then said: she has everything she needs. I said: yes. She does. She has everything she needs and it is all coming toward her and it will not stop coming. That is a promise. That is the only promise that matters and I am keeping it from this moment forward.

I do not know what the first meal home will look like — I only know I want it to be warm, and I want to make it myself, and I want to make enough to share with everyone who comes to the door. Gloria will come. Tyler’s mother will come. There will be people spilling in and out of that kitchen, and I want something already on the counter waiting for them — something soft and uncomplicated and good. These sour cream muffins are exactly that. They are the kind of thing you bake when you want the house to smell like a beginning.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with butter.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and fully incorporated.
Combine gently. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
Fill the cups. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
Bake. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool and serve. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sour Cream Muffins — The Batch I’ll Bake When We Get Home