The last muffin I had prior to this weekend was over 4 or 5 months ago, in either New York, Denver, or L.A. I don't remember when or where, because over the last 10 years or so, chain coffeeshops have replaced mom-and-pop bakeries all over the US. What was once fresh, pillowy, and homemade now tasted like cardbord-y counterfeits from a muffin mix. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

What brought about this train of thought was a muffin specialty shop I passed by in Beijing. Yes, Beijing. This was the first time in China I had seen a selection of muffins larger than 1 or 2 at a Western coffee shop. Here they are called 松并, but are almost impossible to find.

There were perhaps 20 or 30 varieties that ranged from banana caramel to tiramisu. The ones with dollops of cream on the top seemed a little froufrou, but those with large chunks of dried fruit successfully tempted me into buying. I picked out two, one with fig and one with dried 南梨 nánlí, a small pear from Southern China.

They weren't big fat fresh-out-of-the-oven muffins you were once able to buy at some roadside New England bakery, the kind in which you can almost smell the butter and the love that went into the baking. But these ones did have the well-textured, soft but slightly crunchy top that I crave in a muffin. And the top is, of course, the most important part.

Natural Beauty Desserts & Sweets
LG CC09, Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchang'an Jie
Dongcheng District, Beijing