You would have thought that having a blog with the name “Muffins and Magnolias” that by now I would have posted over a billion muffin recipes…but looking back, I don’t think that I have posted a single one.

So it’s about time…don’t you think?!

So today here’s my tips on making the perfect muffins.

The perfect muffin is tender and delicious….sweet and fluffy….light and sweet…with the perfect amount of your favorite additional ingredients to it.

….and all muffins are made by using the “muffin mixing method,” a standard procedure of mixing ingredients together in a specific order that is used in nearly all quick breads.

This involves whisking the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl…mixing the wet ingredients together in another bowl…adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients…and finally mixo ing them quickly but efficiently to combine the two.

Muffins, like the quick bread that we talked about a few posts back, can be made with practically any ingredient that you might happen to have on hand—such as raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, canned pumpkin or squash, applesauce, and pineapple tidbits—and can even include other ingredients—such as dry or cooked breakfast cereal, wheat germ, and granola to the batter…and then sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon sugar, or a crumb topping…(more on this later)…

Regardless what kind of muffins you are making, the process is the same…so in this post we will be looking at method more than material…if that makes sense.

So let’s get down to the bread and butter…

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The Muffin Mixing Method

Prep…Like cooking anything else, the first step is to prepare. Preparing to make muffins involves…

• Preheating the oven to 350…(Recently  I  realized that practically anything and everything you cook cooks at 350…ever noticed that?)
• Coating the muffin pan with cooking spray…. Many people use papers liners. I don’t…you’re gonna have to spray the liners if you do use them…and my five year old will probably end up throwing the liner(s) on the floor…one more thing that I haver to pick up, Most likely you are going to be using standard  12–cup muffin pans, with each compartment holding a capacity of about ⅓ cup. If your pan has larger or smaller cups, you need to adjust the baking time—five minutes more for larger muffins, five minutes less for smaller ones.

Making the Batter…Note that as soon as the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients. the baking powder will start doing its job…so, it’s a good idea to have all of your additional ingredients already peeled and chopped before making the batter.

2. Wet Ingredients…Once you have combined all the dry ingredients, make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well.

Now stir together all your “wet” ingredients in a separate bowl. You want to add all of your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients at the same time.

3. Combining the Wet and Dry Ingredients…It seems like the key secret to making marvelous muffins is to not overmix the batter. Over-mixing the batter can cause peaks, tunnels, and a tough texture.

The total time a mix should take is about thirty seconds.

You should always stir muffin ingredients together with a wooden spoon, a spatula, or a hand mixer…never your electric mixer….(do as I say, not what I do…I’m lazy)…

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they are just combined, It’s okay….or perhaps even better…to end up with lumpy looking batter.

4. Filling Your Muffin Cups…Use a small ice cream scoop to do this.

Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way full. You do not want to fill the individual cups so much that you end up with one massive bread something-or-another…instead of actual muffins….and you do not want to spend extra time cleaning up after you finish making your muffins as you have to.

If you do not have enough batter to fill all of the cups, be sure to put a little water in the empty cups. Otherwise, your muffins will end up scorching.

 Muffin batter should not be made before you are planning on baking them because the leavining power of the baking powder and baking soda will be lost and your baked goods will not turn out

5. Baking the muffins…Bake your muffins about twenty minutes.

Your muffins are finished baking whenever they turn golden, rounded, and have firm edges…or as we’ve all been told how many times…until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Use a butter knife to lift the muffins from the cups so you can place them on the wire rack to finish cooling.

Let the muffins cool on a wire rack until they are cool enough to handle.

If you have used paper muffin papers, remove the papers after about five minutes after getting them out of the oven. Otherwise, the papers will be impossible to take off the muffins.

Making Muffins Ahead of Time…After cooking your muffins and letting them cool, place them in resealable plastic bags. They will stay good in your freezer for up to three months….even though anl topping will not stay crunchy.light and tender) isn’t lost.

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The Recipe

The following recipe is a base muffin recipe that can be used as the backdrop for so many varieties of muffins.

You typically want to add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of whatever “extra ingredients”…such as bananas, blueberries and other fruits,, chocolate, nuts…,to your batter…

For more ideas on additional ingredients, check out tihs post on making quick bread.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk,
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
• cooking spray