From my Joy of Cooking, 1964: About Muffins, page 580: "The mixing is held to an absolute minimum, a light stirring of from 10 to 20 seconds, which will leave some lumps. Ignore them. . . . If the batter has been beaten too long, the gluten in the muffin will be course and full of tunnels." I read that about a year or so ago, and ever since, I've been counting 20 strokes, including the incorporation of any fruit and the liquids, which I now beat the heck out of in another bowl and warm up just a tiny bit over a bowl of hot water. Just thought I'd share that because I've been enjoying making muffins ever since. The kids laugh when they hear me counting, but 20 seems to work. I can't wait to try these Inside Out Carrot Muffins on my family over Easter. I have some carrot-cake-and-cream-cheese-icing monsters in the house. They will love these. Thank you. And thank you for sharing your tips with us. ~Amy

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