This is a quick throw-together that should always be in your brunch recipe arsenal. The muffins look and taste great—and you won’t have to spend $2.50 in a coffee shop.

Ingredients

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

　　2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cherries

　　1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting the top

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup milk

　　2 eggs, lightly beaten

　　1 tablespoon poppy seeds

　　Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

　　1 cup dried cherries

　　Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin, preferably nonstick, with butter. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until evenly combined. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs; then add the melted butter, poppy seeds, and orange zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well; fold everything together to form a batter. Toss the cherries with some flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin when baked, and then fold them into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them two-thirds full. Dust the surface of the batter with a little sugar to form a crust as the muffins bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center muffin. Place the muffin tin on a cutting board to cool.

　　Reprinted with permission from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen by Tyler Florence. © 2003 Clarkson Potter