Fresh lemon zest. Some food grade lavender ground up fine (about half a teaspoon). I like to add a small container (snack size) of pears-you can puree them if you don't want the pear 'chunks' in your muffins. Personally, I love those chunks. A bit of safflower oil (I am not an advocate of Canola oil), coconut milk formulated as a milk substitute (two of us in our home are lactose intolerant) and about 1/4 cup of buttermilk (we can tolerate about that much dairy). The milks here are used in place of the water that is called for on the box recipe. I always use milk or a milk substitute instead of water on all box cake mixes. And, I always add a fruit puree of some sort, be it applesauce in the snack size container or the pears. This is also a good chance to use up whatever yogurt you have unfinished in your 'fridge. All this makes for a very, soft and moist crumb. Follow the package directions (I tend to view package directions as mere guidelines).
Vuela! You have muffins with a homemade touch!
Goes really well with a latte...or a nice cuppa brewed black tea.
BON APETIT!
