This submit could comprise affiliate hyperlinks. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please learn my disclosure coverage.
This primary muffin recipe makes tall, bakery-style muffins with any add-ins you’d like! Yields, tender, fluffy, and deeply flavored muffins with a batter that comes collectively rapidly and simply. Contains directions for normal, mini, and jumbo muffin tins. Don’t miss the how-to video!

Something-However-Fundamental Muffin Recipe
Each baker wants a strong primary muffin recipe of their assortment, and right now I’m proud to be sharing mine. Don’t let the identify idiot you–this recipe makes essentially the most gorgeous muffins with beautiful, tall tops and completely moist, fluffy interiors. Even higher, it may be tailored to go well with no matter add-ins you want!
I’ve not too long ago up to date this recipe to make use of the identical base as my beloved blueberry muffin recipe. Whereas the unique model was good, I felt there was a bit of room for enchancment. This new and improved model went by way of vigorous blind style checks till we completely nailed the rise, taste and softness.
Why This Recipe WORKS
- One recipe, infinite variations. As-is, this recipe makes unbelievable vanilla muffins; nonetheless, I like utilizing it as a place to begin after which add my favourite additions like contemporary or frozen fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips for chocolate chip muffins.
- Bakery-style outcomes. Regardless of their identify, these muffins are something however primary! I’ve shared all of my favourite ideas and tips for bakery-style muffins, like resting the batter and including a sprinkle of sugar earlier than baking.
- Two temperatures are higher than one. We begin with a highly regarded oven to offer the muffins a pleasant rise, then drop the temperature to complete baking with out drying out our muffins. This offers us tall muffin tops with mushy, fluffy facilities. I realized this trick for utilizing two temperatures years in the past, and it’s made all of the distinction in my muffin recipes!
- Thicker vs. thinner batter. A thicker batter means your add-ins keep suspended (no sinking berries or must mud them with flour!) and encourages rounded muffin tops. Significantly, don’t be alarmed when your batter is SUPER thick!
If you happen to had been a fan of my authentic primary muffin recipe, I’ve nonetheless linked to it within the recipe card. However I’d actually love so that you can do that new and improved model!
Elements
There are just a few key components that make this muffin recipe anything-but-basic. I’ll assessment them earlier than we get began!

- Flour. Watch out when measuring and be sure to don’t unintentionally over-measure, or your muffins could prove dry. I’ve a submit on the right way to measure flour if that you must brush up on this ability.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch is my secret ingredient for a mushy, tender crumb. It performs a task in a few of my hottest recipes (together with my lemon blueberry cake and finest chocolate chip cookies) and helps make the batter thick and the ensuing texture mushy and fluffy.
- Butter and oil. The dream group for moist AND flavorful outcomes! Utilizing all butter would make for flavorful muffins, however they’d be on the dry aspect. All oil would make for very moist muffins, however they’d be lacking taste. Pairing the 2 collectively is the best way to go (and a trick I take advantage of in my vanilla cake recipe, too)!
- Bitter cream. I beforehand used buttermilk on this recipe, however I’ve since up to date it to make use of bitter cream. Bitter cream yields a thicker batter and has a slight benefit in the case of moisture and taste (two essential muffin traits, as you’ll be able to see!). I believe plain, full-fat Greek yogurt would work right here as effectively (however bitter cream has the sting on taste).
- Add-ins (elective). Like chocolate chips, nuts, contemporary berries, and so forth. Frozen fruit will work right here too, however chances are you’ll want to increase the bake time by a couple of minutes. Do NOT thaw frozen fruit earlier than including it to the batter; add it frozen.
Keep in mind, that is simply an outline of the components I used and why. For the complete recipe please scroll right down to the underside of the submit!
Sam’s Tip
If you happen to plan so as to add nuts to your muffins, give them a toast first. It boosts their taste and makes such a distinction! You need to use the directions in my submit on the right way to toast pecans for any nuts, not simply pecans.
How one can Make Muffins

- Make & relaxation the batter. Prep the batter by first combining the sugar with the dry components in a big bowl. Whisk collectively the moist components in a separate bowl or giant measuring cup, then use a spatula to softly fold them into the flour combination. When the whole lot is about 50% mixed (to keep away from over-mixing!, fold in your add-ins. When you have time, cowl and let the batter relaxation for as much as an hour.

- Bake & cool. Divide the batter (it will likely be VERY thick!) right into a lined muffin tin. Bake for 8 minutes, then cut back the oven temperature and proceed baking till the tops are calmly golden brown and the facilities are baked by way of (a toothpick ought to come out with moist crumbs, not moist batter). Don’t let your muffins sit within the scorching pan for too lengthy, otherwise you’ll find yourself with greasy muffin liners. Go away them for about 7 minutes, then fastidiously take away to a cooling rack to complete cooling.
Sam’s Tip
Over-baking is the quickest method to dry out your muffins. At all times begin with just a bit much less baking time than you suppose you want (simply in case your oven is operating too scorching!). You’ll be able to all the time add one other minute or two if wanted.
Sam’s Ideas for Bakery-Fashion Muffins

All the muffins above are created from the identical batter, however they’ve utterly totally different seems to be (and in some circumstances, texture/taste!). Listed below are my favourite ideas for remodeling this primary muffin recipe right into a bakery-style muffin recipe!
- Relaxation the batter. Resting the batter is the *finest* method to get the last word texture, look, and even taste from this recipe. Just like resting a pancake batter, it encourages the muffins to rise good and tall with a ravishing fluffy texture. It additionally provides the flavors time to develop. You’ll be able to see the distinction within the picture above; the primary and third muffin evaluate unrested vs. rested outcomes.
- Alternate muffins. Portion your batter into each different cavity in your muffin pan (you’ll want two muffin tins, or to bake the muffins individually); it encourages them to rise even greater. It’s magical! 🪄
- Double-up the batter. Need a jumbo muffin look, however don’t have a elaborate muffin tin? You’ll be able to nonetheless make outsized, bakery-style muffins in a normal muffin tin (the fourth muffin within the picture above) by doubling up the batter. To do that, merely portion your batter into 6 liners as an alternative of 12. Be sure that to alternate the liners for those who do, in any other case the muffins will bake into one another and flatten out as an alternative of baking upwards.
- Sprinkle with sugar. Add a little bit of coarse sugar (turbinado or baker’s sugar) over the muffins earlier than baking. That is a straightforward method to give your muffins a bakery-style improve! Or, get even fancier and drizzle or dip your muffins in vanilla glaze or lemon glaze after they’ve cooled!
- Bonus tip: use my parchment paper muffin liners to actually emulate these bakery muffins.
You too can make this recipe in different-sized muffin tins; I embrace baking directions for mini and jumbo muffins within the recipe notes under.

Continuously Requested Questions
This primary muffin recipe is particularly designed to accommodate add-ins that received’t change the bottom muffin recipe itself. If you happen to’re trying to do one thing a bit extra radical, like including bananas or making the bottom chocolate, I like to recommend you utilize my particular recipes for banana muffins, lemon muffins, or double chocolate muffins as an alternative.
I’ve warned concerning the risks of over-mixing when making staples like buttermilk pancakes and vanilla cake, however it’s simply as essential when making muffins. Stirring an excessive amount of will virtually all the time lead to dense, dry muffins.
As an alternative, use a spoon or spatula (by no means an electrical mixer) to gently fold collectively your moist and dry components. If you happen to’re including any add-ins, toss them into the batter as soon as the moist and dry components are about midway mixed (to keep away from operating the danger of over-mixing). A couple of flour streaks in your batter is A-OK.
Utilizing the suitable components (butter and oil, cornstarch, bitter cream, and so forth.), stirring the batter till it’s simply mixed (which means don’t over-mix!), resting the batter earlier than baking, and utilizing two oven temperatures are all key to a actually good muffin recipe that yields mushy, tender, flavorful and bakery-style outcomes.

Extra Recipes to Strive:
Please depart me a remark for those who do that recipe. I can’t wait to listen to what you consider it, and what taste mixtures you give you!
Take pleasure in!
Let’s bake collectively! Subscribe to my publication to be notified of all the latest recipes, and discover my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
- 1 Âľ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Âľ teaspoon desk salt
- ÂĽ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ÂĽ cup (60 ml) impartial cooking oil, (avocado, vegetable, or canola oil)
- 1 giant egg, room temperature most popular
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) bitter cream
- 1 ½ cups your favourite add-ins, elective (chocolate chips, contemporary or frozen berries, nuts, and so forth., see word if including frozen fruit)
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated sugar or coarse sugar for sprinkling on high, elective
-
Preheat oven to 425F (215C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners (muffins can be made bakery-style or in several sized tins, see word). Put aside.
-
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk till effectively mixed.
1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon desk salt
-
In a separate mixing bowl or giant measuring cup, whisk collectively melted butter and oil. Whisk in egg and vanilla extract then add bitter cream and whisk till effectively mixed.
ÂĽ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, ÂĽ cup (60 ml) impartial cooking oil, 1 giant egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup (240 g) bitter cream
-
Add the moist components to the dry components and use a spatula to softly fold collectively till batter is about 50% mixed. Add any add-ins you might be utilizing and proceed to stir till batter is totally mixed and add-ins are effectively distributed. Don’t over-mix or the muffins might be dense/dry.
1 ½ cups your favourite add-ins
-
Elective relaxation for taller muffin tops: If desired, cowl batter with a clear towel and permit to relaxation for 15-60 minutes earlier than continuing.
-
Evenly divide batter into ready muffin tin. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if utilizing, and switch to middle rack of 425F (215C) preheated oven. Bake muffins for 8 minutes after which, with out opening the oven door, cut back the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and proceed to bake one other 10-12 minutes longer, till the tops are a lightweight golden colour and a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear or with just a few moist crumbs. Word that for those who used frozen berries the muffins typically take a couple of minutes longer, I start checking after 12 minutes.
1 Tablespoon Granulated sugar or coarse sugar for sprinkling on high
-
Enable muffins to chill within the tin for 7 minutes, then fastidiously take away to a cooling rack to chill utterly. Muffins that cool utterly within the tin are liable to barely overbaking (which means they find yourself dry) and the bottoms grow to be soggy and greasy. Take pleasure in!
Totally different sized muffins
Make them in a mini muffin tin: Bake on 375F (190C) for 12-14 minutes. Recipe makes 48 mini muffins.
Make them in a jumbo muffin tin: Bake in a jumbo muffin tin on 425F (215C) for quarter-hour then cut back the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake for quarter-hour longer/till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear.
Make them massive/bakery model in a daily 12-count muffin tin: Divide all the batter into simply 6 wells (it should look like rather a lot, that’s tremendous!), filling each different effectively. Bake on 425F (215C) for 8 minutes then cut back the oven temperature to 350F and bake 18 minutes longer/till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear.
Resting the batter
That is elective, it helps give the muffins taller muffin tops. Let the batter relaxation for as much as one hour.
Add streusel
You need to use my streusel recipe to high the muffins. Muffins with streusel typically take an additional minute or two to bake. This recipe is very good with toasted pecans within the batter and streusel on high, considered one of my favourite combos!
Including frozen fruit
If you’re including frozen fruit the muffins sometimes take a couple of minutes longer to bake.
Taste variation suggestion:
I like so as to add 1 ½ cups chopped pecans and high the muffins with my streusel crumb topping!
Storing
Retailer in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days or wrap tightly and freeze for as much as a month. Enable to thaw utterly earlier than unwrapping (to assist retain finest texture).
Recipe up to date
I initially printed this recipe practically 10 years in the past however have since made just a few tweaks to enhance upon it. If you happen to’re on the lookout for it, you’ll be able to discover the outdated recipe right here.
Serving: 1muffin | Energy: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fats: 13g | Saturated Fats: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

