Muffins Recipe

This basic muffin recipe is simple yet soft and buttery. The simple muffin base is easy to make and it can be flavored with a variety of mix-ins. You’ll be sinking your teeth into buttery, soft muffins in no time!

I’m adding to my baking basics series with a plain muffin recipe that is great as it is or flavored with your favorite mix-ins. Try making cranberry orange muffins with this recipe. It’s superb!

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.

I’m not a fan of muffins baked this way because they are too soft and spongy. I prefer my muffins to be dense but soft in the middle and crisp on the top.

I started with the basic muffin ratio and adjusted the ingredients until I achieved the texture I prefer.

Plain muffins call for standard pantry ingredients. You most likely have these on hand already. Let’s go over what you need…

This recipe is so quick and easy, you could do it with your eyes closed! Not really, but you know what I’m trying to get at here. You need two bowls, a whisk, and a spatula. That’s it!

The Batter – A Basic muffin batter shouldn’t be too sweet. A good rule of thumb is to use as much sugar as butter. And take care not to over mix when combining the ingredients.

Basic Muffin Recipe

This basic muffin recipe is simple yet soft and buttery. The simple muffin base is easy to make and it can be flavored with a variety of mix-ins. You’ll be sinking your teeth into buttery, soft muffins in no time!

Prep: 10min

Total: 35min

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Nutrition Facts: calories 204 calories, Carbohydrate 27 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 53 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 9 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, Saturated Fat 5 grams saturated fat, servingSize 1 muffin, Sodium 191 milligrams sodium, Sugar 11 grams sugar, unSaturated Fat 3 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (114 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, optional

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, butter, and eggs together until well combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir with a silicone spatula just until combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar if using.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
7. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Muffins are best the day they are made but they can be stored for later use.

Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffins

These whole wheat, maple-sweetened banana muffins are so fluffy and moist, I bet no one can guess they’re healthy muffins. They’re easy to make, too, with basic ingredients and only one mixing bowl! Feel free to add mix-ins of your choice, like chocolate chips or toasted nuts. Recipe yields 12 muffins.

Prep: 10min

Total: 35min

Yield: 11

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 muffin, calories 208 calories, Sugar 12.6 g, Sodium 219.8 mg, Fat 7.6 g, Saturated Fat 1.3 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 33 g, Fiber 3.4 g, Protein 4.5 g, Cholesterol 31 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1/4 cup milk of choice or water (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats (optional), plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 teaspoon turbinado (raw) sugar or other granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
2. In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins**, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats (about 1 tablespoon in total), followed by a light sprinkling of sugar (about 1 teaspoon in total). Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).

Blueberry Muffins

FAQ

What should be avoided in making muffins?

1. Overmixing the batter. Good muffins are meant to be pillow-soft, light, and airy. …
2. Not lining or greasing the pan. …
3. Overfilling the muffin cups. …
4. Overbaking or underbaking the muffins. …
5. Leaving the muffins in the pan to cool.

What is the most popular muffin?

1. Apple-Cinnamon Muffins. …
2. Banana Muffins. …
3. Berrylicious Blueberry Muffins. …
4. Chocolate Chip Muffins. …
5. Cornbread Muffins. …
6. Honey Muffins. …
7. Morning Glory Muffins. …
8. Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel.

How do you make muffins taste better?

1. Add fresh or frozen berries! Your berry muffin mix will definitely have some berries included, but the more the berrier. …
2. add zest! Zest a lemon, an orange, or a lime and stir the zest into the batter for a burst of citrus.
3. fill with cream cheese! …
4. fill with jam or fruit curd!

What are the 2 main types of muffins?