Silicone Baking Cups are the BOMB!

Does anyone even say that anymore?

As you might know, I've been getting a lot of things either free or at a discount in exchange for reviewing the product on amazon.com, and one of the things I was really excited about was this set of 12 silicone baking cups.  I don't bake very often, but I have a cup of hot tea every morning, and what's better with that than warm muffins fresh from the oven?

I hate cleaning the muffin tin, which is why when I DO bake, it's rarely muffins or cupcakes.  With these silicone cupcake liners, you don't need a pan at all; you can sit them on a cookie sheet (which is what I did), or set directly on the rack in your oven (I don't think I'd do that, though).

I didn't have anything in the house to make fancy muffins or cupcakes tonight, but was determined I was going to try the liners and get my review turned in.  I flipped through my trusty old (and I do mean old) Betty Crocker cookbook and decided on a simple sweet muffin recipe, then added a little grated orange peel and a touch of orange extract to the batter.

I set the cupcake liners on the baking sheet before filling, and it was a piece of cake (er, muffin, I guess).  They sat up straight and tall, without flopping over like paper cupcake liners would, and no drips all over the pan!

Almost muffins, ready for the oven

When using the silicone baking cups, just follow your recipe as if you were using paper liners or a muffin tin.  The instructions say to let the cupcakes/muffins cool before removing the liner, but I couldn't wait to try them, so I cheated and tore off two of them while they were still pretty warm.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that even while hot, the silicone liners peeled off quickly and easily, leaving a perfectly shaped muffin.  The instructions say you don't need to grease the liners first, but you CAN if you want to.  I didn't. They were fine.

Hot orange-y muffins

So, while these muffins weren't anything fancy like you might find in a bakery or coffee shop, they tasted great with just a hint of orange flavor, and I'm more than pleased with how the silicone liners performed.  I might pick up another set so that I can have a dozen cupcakes or muffins ready to go into the oven while one is baking.  I think the price is reasonable, given that they're reusable and virtually indestructible, which will save money on paper liners.  There are many more creative ways to use them as well.

I see lots more muffins in my future to accompany my morning cup of tea.

~ Marie Anne