Universal Muffin Recipe

This recipe starts with the core ingredients for many kinds of muffins, and at the end you add a few more ingredients such as fruits or nuts to make a wide variety of flavors.

Ingredients

Basic Batter.

• 219 grams (1 3/4 cups) All-purpose Flour.
• 4.79 grams (1 tsp) Baking Powder.
• 4.80 grams (1 tsp) Baking Soda.
• 151 grams (3/4 cup) Granulated Sugar or Light Brown Sugar (packed).
• 2.85 grams (1/2 tsp) Salt. Omit if you're using salted butter.
• 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) Vanilla Flavoring (Extract or Essence, optional).
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) Oil or Butter (softened unsalted or salted; see Salt comment above). I usually use Canola Oil.
• 100 grams (2 whole) Eggs at room temperature.
• Extras (depends on flavoring; see below).

Banana Muffins Extra Ingredients.

• 270 grams (1 1/2 cup) Bananas, peeled and mashed. One medium, peeled banana weighs about 90 grams, and you can mash them in a bowl with a fork. You can add up to about 1/3 more banana to this recipe without any problem.
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) Whole Milk.
• 1.32 grams (1/2 tsp) Cinnamon Powder (optional).

Berry Muffins Extra Ingredients.

• 120 ml (1/2 cup) Sour Cream or Yogurt, preferably at room temperature.
• 285 grams (1 1/2 cups) Berries (Blueberries, Raspberries, etc.).

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, and optional Cinnamon, and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, add Oil or Butter. If using Butter, mix at high speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Add Sugar to the Oil or Butter, and mix well at high speed, about 2 minutes if using Butter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as required.
4. Add Eggs, your Extra Liquid (Milk, Yogurt, or Sour Cream) as indicated below, and optional Vanilla Flavoring. Mix at high speed until mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as required.
5. Combine the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients, and mix at low speed just until combined, about 1 minute.
6. Add in any fruits or nuts, and mix on low speed until well distributed.
7. Line your muffin pan with baking cups. Standard size cups are about 5cm diameter measured at the bottom x 2.24 cm high (2" x 1 1/4 "). You can grease the muffin pan with oil or cooking spray, but liners are much more convenient.
8. Fill each muffin cup nearly to the top, which requires about 1/4 cup of batter for the standard size cups. Hint: Use an ice cream scoop.
9. Bake in two steps, first at 220°C (425°F) for 5 minutes, then at 180°F (350°F) for 15 minutes for the standard size cups. The 5 minute initial "heat burst" allows the Baking Powder to work quickly to make the muffins tall before the gluten in the flour sets. Jumbo size cups may require up to an additional 3 minutes.

Storage

References