William Shatner's Muffins Include A Secret Ingredient Worth Adding

The legendary William Shatner is best known for playing the iconic role of Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek," but most folks aren't aware that he also knows how to take a muffin to the final frontier. Avoiding the mistake of overmixing the batter and utilizing the best tricks to make the fluffiest muffin tops will deliver pastries with an airy texture and tender crumb, but Shatner's recipe focuses on upgrading the flavor of his baked goods. The secret weapon that takes his muffins to the great beyond is an homage to the breakfast table; more specifically, the popular beverage many of us can't go without in the morning.

When Shatner is craving a cakey nosh, he tosses some instant espresso into the batter to impart a bold flavor of coffee. All your traditional muffin ingredients, such as flour, baking powder, and sugar, are along for the journey; but Shatner also combines the espresso with mix-ins such as cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Those ingredients provide a heavenly balance of sweetness to the bitter notes espresso can impart to baked goods. The result is a sweet, coffee-flavored muffin that pairs perfectly with a morning cup of joe.

Some people who have followed William Shatner's out-of-this-world muffin recipe have noted they didn't mimic it to a T. Not everyone has instant espresso lying around the kitchen, for one. Yet, just as instant coffee works as an espresso martini cheat, it can also be used in a pinch to create Shatner's delectable muffins.

Still, swapping instant coffee for instant espresso isn't likely to get you the same flavor profile. The muffins may take on a slightly sour taste, which you'll want to balance with additional sweet elements. And as instant espresso is typically the stronger of the two ingredients, the overall coffee flavor won't be as prominent. If instant coffee is all you have on hand, tweaking the recipe to include more of it in the batter wouldn't be a bad idea.

Of course, given that baking is a finicky science, adding another teaspoon of instant coffee might affect the texture of the muffins. The same goes for upping the sweet factor by adding more sugar or chocolate chips to balance it out. All the same, boldly exploring ways to improve these muffins seems fitting. Captain Kirk once stated, "Sometimes a feeling, Mister Spock, is all we humans have to go on." If you feel like a bit more instant coffee would work or your sweet tooth isn't getting everything it wants, take that heroic gamble and make your muffins a galactic success.