Strawberry Jam-Filled Muffins

So in an earlier post, I wanted to make these jam-filled muffins but the freeze dried jam I used ended up melting away.  So this time I tried using real jam in the muffins and they turned out… even worse… =P  Actually this time around, the problem wasn't with the jam… especially since I used the precious homemade strawberry jam that my mom made for me.  The problem was with the recipe I used… the muffins themselves ended up tasteless and hard…

I didn't feel right serving these hockey pucks to people… so I took some to work for my breakfast and then tossed the rest away.  But even then, I couldn't make myself finish eating those things. When I threw the last muffin in the garbage bin at the office, it actually made a loud CLANG sound when it hit the bottom of the bin.  Wow… maybe I shouldn't have ate them after all…

Just in case you're wondering… I got the idea to make these jam-filled muffins from Tim Horton's fruit explosion muffins.  I practically lived off those muffins in my uni days… and I didn't realize how difficult they were to make!  I've still included the recipe that I used below… maybe someone out there will want to make some rocks. =P

Ingredients:
2 cups unsifted plain flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat.
4. Combine in a small bowl with the buttermilk, then beat in the egg with a fork.
5. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring only enough to moisten.
6. Spoon half the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
7. With the back of a spoon, make a shallow indentation in the batter in each muffin cup, then spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each one.
8. Top with the remaining batter, spreading to cover the filling.
9. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.