8 Muffin Recipes: Learn to Make 8 Types of Muffins

A muffin is an individual-sized quick bread that rises using baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. These small quick breads are usually sweet, with a denser texture than cupcakes. To make muffins, bakers scoop the batter into a muffin pan that features a dozen or more individual muffin cups. Depending on the mix-in ingredients, you can enjoy muffins as a breakfast food, an accompaniment to a main course, or a snack. Common add-ins include dried fruits, nuts, oats, and chocolate chips.

When baking muffins, keep these steps in mind:

1. 1. Follow the order of ingredients. Like baking a cake, a muffin recipe usually calls for creaming butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. The wet ingredients (such as eggs, brown sugar, buttermilk, greek yogurt, sour cream, peanut butter, and vanilla extract) are then added. Next, slowly add the dry ingredients (such as all-purpose flour and spices) to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. Following the order of ingredients in the recipe will yield tender muffins.
2. 2. Avoid overmixing. Overmixing the muffin batter can yield tough muffins. Mix the muffin batter with your hands and a spatula until the flour disappears into the wet mixture.
3. 3. Mix add-ins at the end. If you are adding in solid mix-ins such as chocolate chips or berries to your muffins, add them in at the very end after you add the flour. To customize your mix-ins, add no more than two cups of mix-ins to a basic muffin recipe.
4. 4. Consider the type of pan. You can bake muffins in a cupcake pan or a standard muffin pan, which is bigger than a cupcake pan. You will need to modify the baking time for different pans—a standard muffin tin will have a longer cook time than a cupcake pan. Mini muffins will bake faster than muffins in cupcake pans.
5. 5. Use muffin liners. You can use muffin cup linersto prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan. Alternatively, spray the muffin pan or cupcake pan with a nonstick cooking spray before you pour in the batter.
6. 6. Test for donesness. Test muffins for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the middle of the muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffin is done.
7. 7. Store the muffins. Store muffins in an airtight container in a refrigerator for four days, or freeze them for long-term storage. To reheat muffins, place the muffin on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel and then microwave for fifteen to thirty seconds, until warm.

Consider making the following muffin recipes for a quick breakfast treat or a brunch party:

1. 1. Apple cinnamon spice muffins: Follow this basic muffin recipe, then fold in an additional ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple, ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts. Sprinkle muffin batter with some oats before baking. You can add a streusel and cinnamon sugar topping to make apple crumb muffins.
2. 2. Banana nut muffins: Follow this basic muffin recipe, then fold in ¾ cup ripe, mashed banana and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans to make classic breakfast muffins. Add chocolate chunks to make banana chocolate chip muffins.
3. 3. Blueberry muffins: Use this basic muffin recipe to make batter, then fold in 1½ cups fresh or frozen or fresh blueberries and zest from 1 lemon. You can finish with a streusel topping.
4. 4. Cornbread muffins: Cornbread is most traditionally cooked in a skillet, and individual corn muffins are a popular way to bake individual portions of the dish. These soft and tender muffins can be made sweet or savory, depending on how you want to serve them. Fold in diced jalapeño and shredded cheddar to make cornbread cheese muffins, for a perfect chili side dish. Or add a touch more sugar and serve with butter and jam for a sweet afternoon snack.
5. 5. Cranberry muffins: A welcome departure from the standard apple or blueberry muffins, these festive cranberry muffins pack a lot of flavor while using ingredients that are available year-round. Instead of fresh cranberries, this recipe calls for dried cranberries quick-soaked in orange juice. Flecks of citrus zest throughout the batter act as flavorful confetti, while a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flours ensures a hearty muffin with a tender crumb. Adding tangy cultured yogurt keeps these cranberry orange muffins moist and fluffy.
6. 6. Espresso chocolate chip muffins: Follow this basic muffin recipe, then fold in 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons espresso powder.
7. 7. Lemon poppy seed muffins: Lemon poppy seed muffins are tender, poppy seed–filled, individually sized quick breads. Lemon extract is a popular flavoring for these muffins, as the lemon flavor balances the nuttiness of the poppy seeds.
8. 8. Mochi muffins: Mochi muffins are individual servings of Hawaiian butter mochi cake baked in a muffin pan. The recipe for this treat typically consists of glutinous rice flour, butter, and coconut milk, which come together to form muffins with a custard-like interior and a crispy crust.
9. 9. Peach cobbler muffins: Peach cobbler muffins feature peaches and a streusel topping. Fresh, juicy peaches are mixed into the batter. A streusel crumb topping is added to the muffin tops to create a baked treat that resembles peach cobbler. You can prep, bake, and serve these simple streusel muffins in under an hour. Serve these muffins for breakfast, brunch, or warmed up and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a tasty individually-sized dessert.
10. 10. Spiced pumpkin muffins: To make spiced pumpkin muffins, fold in 1 cup pumpkin purée and 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice into this basic muffin batter.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.