Monster-Muffin ‘Factory’

Joyce’s Gourmet English Muffin Co.

64 Cummings Park

Woburn, Mass. 01801

(800) 234-6836

Check, money order, MasterCard or Visa

True or False?

A. English muffins must be split with a fork.

B. English muffins should be toasted until the top reaches a golden brown.

C. Only sweet butter is acceptable on English muffins.

D. All of the above.

If you answered anything but D., you probably aren’t fanatical enough about muffins to care about the ones from Joyce’s Gourmet.

These are monster muffins that bear little resemblance to those flat hockey pucks you find in supermarkets. They contain no fat, no oil, no eggs, no preservatives and are low in sugar and sodium. But feel free to slather them with sweet butter--they have a dense, chewy texture with lots of little crevices that make ideal reservoirs for melted butter.

The company started a few years ago, after Joyce Kazanjian started baking batches of muffins, arranging them in gift baskets and sending them to friends as presents. When her friends started to place orders for their friends, she knew she was on to a good thing.

Joyce’s come in seven flavors (my favorites are plain, cheese and blueberry). Be warned, however: These muffins can become alarmingly addictive.

Muffins are wrapped in packages of three and cost $3 to $3.50 per package. Minimum mail order is a dozen muffins. Shipping is $7 per dozen, second-day air. Keep the muffins frozen until ready for use.