Orange and Cardamom Muffin Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to moist muffins? ›

Option #2: High to Low Baking Temperatures

The idea here is to start the muffins in a very hot oven for just a short amount of time. This activates the baking powder and allows the muffins to shoot up in height quickly. We then turn the heat down and continue to cook for longer.

You can top muffins with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, a handful of chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, or a daub of Nutella®* or frosting. But our favorite way to add a finishing touch to muffins is with a streusel topping.

Baking soda, a commonly used leaven and key ingredient in baking powder, helps batters and doughs rise, so their texture is light when baked.

It is possible to replace oil with butter in a muffin recipe as generally most muffin recipes are quite forgiving and you may find that butter gives a better flavour.

Overmixing the batter.

When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.

If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.

Rest the Muffin Batter

The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.

According to O. Corriher, the way to get a perfectly puffed up dome on your muffins is to increase your oven heat. She says that 400° should do it, no matter what the recipe says. The higher baking temperature means that the the outside edges of the muffin will set while the middle is still liquidy.

Basic Muffins

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down and add the eggs one at a time. Beat until light and completely combined. The mixture may curdle but will be corrected when the flour is added.

How to doctor up muffin mix? ›

Spices and Flavorings

Give your muffin or pancake mix an extra kick by adding a teaspoon or two of your favorite powdered spice. Some of my go-to additions are cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice. But have some fun and figure out what works best with your mix.

We recommend using water; however we know that some Makers prefer to use milk to make muffins.

Bake at 350°F (177°C) the whole time. Standard Size Muffins or Mini Muffins: For standard size muffins baked in a 12-count muffin pan, reduce baking time to about 20 total minutes: 5 initial minutes at 425°F and 15 minutes at 350°F. Yields 14-15 standard size muffins.

The two main candidates are Baking powder and Bicarbonate of soda. Yes, they both cause chemical reactions, give off bubbles, cause your muffins to rise.

For an extra boost in rise, you can start baking the muffins at a slightly higher temperature (e.g., 425°F / 220°C) for the first 5 minutes, then reduce it to the recipe-specified temperature. This initial high heat can create a burst of steam and rapid expansion.

If muffins are left exposed, the moisture starts to leak from them and they dry out. To store muffins up to 4 days, line an airtight container or zip-lock bag with paper towel and store the muffins in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel on top of the muffins as well.

The main cause of dry, hard muffins is over-mixing the batter and overcooking the muffins. So the the 3 simple secrets for beautifully soft and moist blueberry muffins are: use butter AND oil -butter makes things tasty but oil makes things moist. So use both!