• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Prepare the additions and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375ºF and line the muffin pan with paper cups or use pan spray.
In a medium bowl, beat together the egg, oil, sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Pour the dry ingredients on top of the wet and stir gently until mixed. Some small lumps are okay. Then stir in the prepared fruit or other additions. This should be a thick batter.
Divide batter into 12 medium or 6 large muffins, filling the pans almost to the top.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes depending on size. Turn down the oven heat if the tops are getting too brown. They will be done when a finger pressed gently on top leaves no imprint.
Cool thoroughly before wrapping and storing. These keep for two days; can be frozen for up to six months.
2
Finding Your Product Niche
If you currently have a specialty, or even just recipes you enjoy making — whether baking cookies, creating ethnic foods, or preserving fresh fruits — profit from what you already feel comfortable producing. If friends and relatives rave about your moist banana bread, or your decorated birthday cakes are the hit of the neighborhood, start by concentrating on those ideas to create a niche for your business.
If you like to work in your kitchen but aren’t sure about a product direction, read through the following sections. For specific recipes, consult cookbooks, food magazines, and the Internet. If baking is your main interest, this book has some great recipes. The recipes included in the book are some of my best-selling baked goods with variations to help you create your own specialty items.
The following sections include ideas for recipes, ranging in difficulty from easy to expert (some don’t even need a stove) and are intended to encourage your imagination.
1. Foods Made without Heat
The following items can be made without an oven or stovetop, and several are quite simple to do:
• Bulk ingredients repackaged into consumer sizes (e.g., flours, seeds, pasta, candies)
• Bulk ingredients mixed for snacks (e.g., trail mix, party nuts, dried fruits)
• Spice and herb mixtures (e.g., vegetable or fruit salad dressing mix) — you could include recipes and menu suggestions with the mixes
• Gift baskets with fruits, candy, jams, cookies
• Homegrown or local fruits and vegetables repackaged into ready-to-use form; make fresh fruit or vegetable salads and salsas
• Trays (e.g., breakfast, deli, vegetable, dessert) or brown bag and boxed lunches using store-bought foods; repackage dinners, snacks, or meals for dieters (be sure to include calorie information)
• Dry mixes for bread, cakes, muffins, and cookies; include instructions with the mixes
• Frozen or refrigerated dough; include baking instructions
• Specialty cookies or treats such as rum balls or bourbon balls
• Specialty drinks such as smoothies, juices, and lemonades
• Frozen desserts such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, gelato, ices, and sorbets
2. Stovetop, Hot Plate, and Microwave Foods
The following items can be prepared with the help of a small, inexpensive heating appliance:
• Candy or fudge, including nut brittles, chocolate bark, haystacks, and patties
• Dipped items such as chocolate-covered pretzels, potato chips, dried fruits, and purchased cookies (ever tasted a crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookie dipped in chocolate?)
• No-bake cookies such as Rocky Road or peanut butter balls
• Jams, jellies, preserves
• Processed (i.e., canned, frozen, refrigerated) fruits and vegetables; fruit compotes, chutneys, sauces
• Pizzelles, waffles, pancakes, or crepes made with small countertop specialty appliances such as a waffle iron, pizzelle baker, or crepe maker
• Fried items such as donuts, beignets, fritters, or funnel cakes
• Meal parts, such as salads, slaws, and other side dishes; or stovetop foods such as soups, stews, or vegetables (for more ideas on meal parts, see section 5.)
3. Baked Foods
The following list is an overview of the extensive baked goods category. The skill level for these items ranges from easy to expert:
• Breakfast items such as muffins, coffee cakes, scones, biscuits, or sweet buns
• Granolas
• Breads such as artisan, yeast, or quick breads
• Cookies, biscotti, brownies, bars, or whoopee pies
• All-occasion cakes such as pound, bundt, layer, and sheet cakes
• Specialty cakes such as wedding, anniversary, birthday, and graduation
• Small pastries, cupcakes, and petit fours
• Fruitcakes (you’d be surprised at the market for these holiday cakes)
• Tarts, pies, and quiches (sweet or savory)
• Hors d’oeuvres and canapés
• Casseroles, vegetable dishes, entrées
• Dog treats (really, there’s a market for these)
4. Specialized Niches
Another approach is to look at food in specialized areas, such as ethnic foods or foods for special diets. Specializing can help you think about food from a different perspective and perhaps come up with ideas for products not yet available in your community. If you already have an interest in one of the following areas, or something looks appealing, explore the possibilities.
4.1 Convenience foods and meal parts
Create a weeknight menu and offer delivery of hot, ready-to-eat foods. Or, instead of dealing with the concept of providing full meals, break it
