Standard Muffin Recipe – A plain muffin batter is added to a muffin tin, then you can add your favorite flavors (fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.) to each muffin. Great for kids and guests because everyone gets to choose the type of muffin they want.
About a year ago, I noticed severalrecipes trending on Pinterest involving pancake batter and muffin tins. Some people called them puffins, some people called them individual baked pancakes. The generalidea was totake pancake batter and pour it into a muffin tin, then top the batter with your favorite flavors (fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, oats, etc.) and bake it. I thought it was a great idea, so I tried it. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like it. The thing about pancake batter is,it’s not very good on its own. That’s probably why most people douse their pancakes in lots of maple syrup. Even when I added syrup to the baked pancakes, or whatever you want to call them, they still weren’t my favorite.
But, I still really liked the idea of being able to use a bunch of different flavors/toppings to add to one standardbatter. The batter just needed to taste better.So why not use the muffin tin for it’s actual purpose, making muffins!Muffin batter is lighter and sweeter; and you can still add all of your favorite additional ingredients to it.
This is great forhouse guests, kids, and picky eaters because everyone can choose theirfavorite flavor of muffin to make. It’s also a great way to get creative in the kitchen. I tried a lot of different flavor combinations and some of the ones that sounded a little strange ended up being great, like dried cranberry and sweetened coconut.
All you do is follow the standard muffin recipe below, fill a muffin tin with the batter, and top with your favorite muffin flavors/additions.Use a toothpick to push the additional ingredients down into the batter and swirl them around a bit. This way the additional ingredients are spread throughout the muffin and don’t just sit on top of it, as you can see in the blueberry muffin pictured on the right. Then, just bake and cool the muffinslike any other muffin recipe. The amount of additional ingredients you add is up to you, if you like lots of chocolate chips in your muffins, then add lots of chocolate chips. I ended up using about a tablespoon of each additional ingredient.
I experimented with lots of different flavor additions for this standard muffin recipe. Here are a few that I tried: blueberry (pictured on the right), banana nut, chocolate chip, dried cranberry & sweetened coconut, mango & sweetened coconut, Peanut butter & jelly, and brown sugar & oats.
This brown sugar and oats muffinwas another one of my favorites. The brown sugar addition really sweetened it up.
I do have a suggestion for your flavor additions. If you are adding an ingredient that is not very sweet, like blueberries, you may want to roll that ingredient around in a little sugar before you add it to the batter.
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Standard Muffin Recipe - A plain muffin batter is added to a muffin tin, then you can add your favorite flavors (fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.) to each muffin. Great for kids and guests because everyone gets to choose the type of muffin they want.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Video
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup skim milk, or your preferred milk/milk alternative
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin liners in a muffin tin and spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
In another bowl, add the sugar, milk, vanilla, egg, and oil. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined; batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix.
Fill the muffin liners ¾ of the way up.
Add your favorite muffin flavors/additions (fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, oats, etc.). Take a toothpick and push the additional ingredients down into the batter and swirl them around a little.
Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you are going to use a muffin addition that is not very sweet, like blueberries, it would be a good idea to roll that ingredient around in a little bit of sugar before you add it to the muffin batter.
The baking powder will start to react as soon as the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients. So, it's a good idea to have all of your additional ingredients prepared (ie. fruit peeled and chopped) before the batter is made.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.7g | Protein: 3.1g | Fat: 4.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Fiber: 0.5g
Course Bread/Muffin, Breakfast, brunch
Keyword basic muffin recipe, muffins, standard muffin recipe
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FAQs
How to Make Homemade Muffins Moist: Our Top Tips
- Tips to Make Homemade Muffins Moist.
- Keep Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
- Add All Flavorings Last.
- Consider Paper Liners.
- Don't Overfill the Muffin Cups.
- Check the Temperature of Your Oven.
- Test if Muffins Are Fully Cooked.
- Top Your Muffins with Flavor.
You can use either all-purpose flour or pastry flour; all-purpose flour gives you a sturdier muffin while a pastry flour muffin will be lighter and more delicate.
What is the most important rule to follow when baking muffins? ›
The number one rule for successful muffins is: Don't over-mix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to quickly fold (gently stir) the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. A few streaks of flour still showing is okay, especially if you plan to add in extra ingredients like fruits and nuts.
Are muffins better with oil or butter? ›
It is possible to replace oil with butter in a muffin recipe as generally most muffin recipes are quite forgiving and you may find that butter gives a better flavour.
What not to do when making muffins? ›
Overmixing the batter.
When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.
What makes muffins rise better? ›
Start the oven on high
Bake your muffins at 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop the temperature to the more standard 350°F for the remainder of the bake time. This method sparks the leavening agents (especially baking powder) in the batter to react quicker, creating that gorgeously risen top.
Is baking soda or baking powder better for muffins? ›
Because of baking soda's bitter taste, it must be paired with a sweeter tasting acidic compound. Baking soda is most commonly used in cookie and muffin recipes. Baking powder, however, already contains an acid and a base and has a more neutral taste, which works great when baking cakes and bread.
Should flour be sifted for muffins? ›
Why You Should Sift Flour. Putting your flour through a sifter will break up any lumps in the flour, which means you can get a more accurate measurement. Sifted flour is also much lighter and airier than unsifted flour and is easier to mix into other ingredients when making batters and doughs.
What is the most common flaw when baking muffins? ›
One of the biggest mistakes people make with muffins — and baked goods as a whole — is using ingredients that are too cold. If you use butter that is too cold, you'll find the batter is harder to work with and has pockets of unevenness throughout.
Should I bake muffins at 350 or 375? ›
Ideal Muffin Cooking Temperature
As stated above, different flours, swaps and add-ins can impact muffin cooking time and should be taken into account when making your baked treat. That being said, the standard oven temperature for baking desserts like quick breads and muffins is commonly set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- High-quality muffins have a thin, evenly browned crust.
- Top is symmetrical, but looks rough.
- When broken apart, texture is uniform and crumb is tender and light.
Rest the Muffin Batter
The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.
What happens if you add an extra egg to muffin mix? ›
Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery.
What is the formula for muffins? ›
Muffins fall into the “quick bread” category and are essentially flavored pancake batter that's baked in muffin tins. The traditional ratio for muffins and quick bread is 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, and 1 part butter.
How to keep muffins moist? ›
If muffins are left exposed, the moisture starts to leak from them and they dry out. To store muffins up to 4 days, line an airtight container or zip-lock bag with paper towel and store the muffins in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel on top of the muffins as well.
What can I add to muffin mix to make it moist? ›
The traditional options are apple sauce, pumpkin purée, and mashed banana, but puréed white beans or puréed peaches can also work. Remember to adjust your other liquids to account for the added moisture. Increasing the sugar content of the recipe can also help. Applesauce is probably the easiest thing.
How to make muffins more moist after baking? ›
Use a steamer. Steaming is a great way to add moisture to past-their-prime muffins. And according to a TikTok user, you should also be steaming your muffins when you bake them since the hot air and steam allow more time for the centers to rise, resulting in tender and airy muffins.
How to get domed muffins? ›
I suggest baking your muffins at 400 F. I know most muffin recipes (including the ones I have used previously) all tell us to preheat our ovens to between 325-375 F. That heat range is just not enough. While it will surely cook your muffins, it will not give you the full rise that you want.
All you do is follow the standard muffin recipe below, fill a muffin tin with the batter, and top with your favorite muffin flavors/additions.Use a toothpick to push the additional ingredients down into the batter and swirl them around a bit. This way the additional ingredients are spread throughout the muffin and don’t just sit on top of it, as you can see in the blueberry muffin pictured on the right. Then, just bake and cool the muffinslike any other muffin recipe. 
The amount of additional ingredients you add is up to you, if you like lots of chocolate chips in your muffins, then add lots of chocolate chips. I ended up using about a tablespoon of each additional ingredient.
This brown sugar and oats muffinwas another one of my favorites. The brown sugar addition really sweetened it up.
