Recipe - Ginger - Molasses Muffins

1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 tablespoon Hot water
1 cup Room temperature butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Molasses
4 Separated, room temp egg
3 One half cup All purpose flour
1 teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
1 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Chopped pecan
1 cup Raisin
pn Cream of tartar

(Makes about 40.)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease 2inch muffin tins. Dissolve baking soda in
hot water. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy, using electric
mixer. Blend in molasses, yolks and soda. Combine flour, nutmeg, cinnamon
and ginger. Mix into butter alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions
each. Fold in nuts and raisins. Beat whites with cream of tartar in another
bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Spoon into prepared tins,
filling Three fourths full. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20
to 25 minutes. Transfer to racks. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Reheat in
350 deg. oven about 4 minutes.) Serve warm.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini