Homemade muffins can be eaten as a sweet breakfast or an afternoon snack. You can’t go wrong using butter. Try making different flavors of muffins based on this recipe.
We love a good breakfast muffin in the morning. Frankly, we also like them as an afternoon snack until dinner. There are so many options for homemade muffins that you will never get bored. It doesn’t take very long to try different things in the kitchen, does it? We’ve designed this easy-to-follow basic recipe to meet all your muffin-making needs. Our favorite flavors and variations, along with some helpful hints, are listed below. Our basic homemade muffin recipe will give you moist, fluffy and delicious results every time.
Flavorings and Additions
Again, use this recipe as a base for baked goods. It can be used as is, but we recommend adding spices, fillings and toppings. Here are some of our favorite combinations
- Cinnamon and chocolate chips.
- Double chocolate. White and dark chips.
- Creamy fried dough. Made with brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Blueberry.
- With cranberries, walnuts or pecans.
- Lemon Poppy Seeds.
Try more unique combinations to suit your taste. Get creative – you may find you can make your own.
Substitute out.
This homemade muffin recipe can be made vegan by using egg substitutes and plant-based milk instead of buttermilk. These substitutions won’t change the texture or flavor of the baked goods. Good news.
You can also replace vanilla with any flavor extract. Extracts such as almond, lemon or orange are recommended.
About baking powder.
If you want your homemade muffins to puff up, don’t use baking powder. Baking powder is one ingredient you may have tried to omit in the past. It’s bad enough when you have all the ingredients for a recipe, but you’re missing one. You may think a few tablespoons of baking powder isn’t that important, but trust us, it is.
If you add baking powder and the dish doesn’t rise, check that it hasn’t expired. If it hasn’t expired, you may need to add some more. Use a hand mixer to make sure everything is well mixed. Also check the oven temperature. If the conditions (and the dough) are right, you can’t go wrong.
Troubleshooting How do I make my muffins fluffier?
Is there anything better than a fluffy breakfast muffin? Not really. If you follow the instructions on the recipe card, you should get fluffy results. But if you want lighter, fluffier results, here’s a handy tip.
Allow the eggs, butter and milk to come to room temperature before mixing. This will naturally trap air before you put it in the oven, resulting in a smoother dough. After baking, the trapped air will expand and the pastry will puff up nicely.
Can you make them in mini sizes?
We love our mini breakfast muffins. If mini size is your preference, you can adapt this recipe to your taste. Follow the instructions, but use a mini muffin pan instead. You will also need to lower the temperature.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. To check if they are cooked, stick a toothpick in the center. Once clean, remove from oven.
Storage.
When the baked goods have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature on the counter or in the pantry for up to two days. If stored in the refrigerator, they will keep for up to a week. If you want to eat the muffins hot in the morning, simply reheat them in the microwave.
If you like this recipe, you may also be interested in the following flavors of muffins
- Orange Cranberry Muffins
- Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mom’s Yeast Banana Muffins
In the video below, Rachel explains each step of this recipe. In this show, Rachel shows you all the steps of this recipe. You can find the recipe on YouTube, Facebook Watch, our Facebook page or on this website.
You can have homemade muffins as a sweet breakfast or an afternoon snack. You can’t go wrong with butter on your muffins. With this base, you can make any flavor of muffin!
Instructions
- Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly grease paper liners with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about two minutes.
- Beat in eggs until combined, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add in the baking powder, any spices you might be using (for other flavors), salt, and vanilla and mix briefly.
- Add in half of flour, mix with hand mixer until just combined, then add in the milk, stirring to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and add in the remaining flour until just combined.
- Add in any desired add-ins to the batter (chocolate chips, berries, dried fruit, or nuts) and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in.
- Divide the batter up amongst the 12 muffins. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let the batter rest while the oven preheats.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, do not open the door and reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for an additional 13-15 minutes. Watch the muffins closely as cooking times may vary depending on your oven.
- Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Spices: The most popular spice to add to muffins is ground cinnamon. Use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon total of ground cinnamon, depending on how prominent you want your cinnamon flavor to be. A similar option is to add in pumpkin pie spice.
Extracts: The vanilla extract can be replaced with other flavors of extracts. Popular options include almond extract, lemon extract, and orange extract.
Streusel Topping: Muffins can be made plain or topped with a crumble or streusel topping. To make a traditional streusel, stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender (or two knives) to cut 4 tablespoons cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small pebbles or sand. Spoon on top of muffin batter just before baking.
Add-ins should total 1 cup. Feel free to mix and match with the following options:
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- White Chocolate Chips
- Cinnamon Chips
- Fresh Blueberries
- Dried Cranberries
- Raisins
- Chopped Walnuts
- Chopped Pecans
Other Additions: Poppyseed muffins are popular in different flavors and can be added to the batter at the same time as another other add-ins. Use 3 tablespoons of poppyseed total. For Citrus flavors, use citrus extracts and add in up to 2 tablespoons of orange or lemon zest.
For chocolate muffins, add 1/2 cup cocoa powder in with the sugar.
For Pistachio Muffins: replace 1/4 cup of the sugar with a 3.4 ounce package of Instant Pistachio Pudding
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 292IU | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
- Course: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Keyword: Muffin Recipe
