My "Perfect" Muffins Are So Easy, I Bake a Batch Every Single Week

There’s a short list of essential recipes I think every home cook needs in their back pocket: a reliable 20-minute meal for busy weeknights, a one-pan chicken dinner for the whole family, a solid all-purpose vinaigrette recipe, chocolate chip cookies, and muffins.

I’m talking about a good basic muffin recipe that’s just as great on its own (maybe split open with a swipe of good butter) as it is dolled up with any of your favorite muffin mix-ins. That’s exactly what you get with this recipe. This muffin is buttery with a hint of vanilla, and it’s just sweet enough but not so sweet that it falls into dessert territory. I promise these are not cupcakes disguised as breakfast.

Why You’ll Love It

• These muffins are totally customizable. This is truly the perfect basic muffin recipe. It’s a total delight made just as is, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to tossing in some mix-ins. Fresh or frozen fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, and spices are all fair game.

• They’re extremely easy to make. These muffins come together with a relatively short list of basic pantry ingredients (I bet you even have most of them on hand right now) that you just whisk and stir together. This is a great recipe for little ones to help out with or even make on their own with some direction.

Key Ingredients in Muffins

• Unsalted butter: I love melted butter over oil because it gives the muffins more flavor.

• Sugar: You’ll use just enough granulated sugar to give the muffins a subtly sweet flavor without making them feel like dessert.

• All-purpose flour: This is what gives the muffins structure. Stir just until no dry spots of flour remain, but avoid over-mixing so that the muffins remain tender.

• Mix-ins: This is totally optional in the recipe, but here are the amounts I recommend. For chocolate chips, small berries (like blueberries), or chopped nuts, stick with 1 cup. If you’re using larger berries or diced fruit, the batter can take up to 1 1/2 cups.

How to Make Muffins

1. Mix the muffin batter. Whisk the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together in separate bowls, then stir them together. If you’re adding mix-ins, stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just barely combined. Any dry streaks will get fully combined when you fold in the mix-ins.

2. Fill the muffin pan. Evenly divide the batter between the muffin wells.

3. Bake and cool the muffins. Bake until the muffins are golden-brown, the tops bounce back when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

Helpful Swaps

• An equal amount of almond extract, lemon extract, or orange extract can be used as a substitute for the vanilla extract.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• Muffins will keep for up to five days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

• Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.

Muffin Recipe

They’re totally delicious as is, or loaded with your favorite mix-ins.

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 22 minutes to 25 minutes

Makes Makes 12 muffins

Serves 12

Ingredients

• Paper muffin liners or cooking spray

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup whole or 2% milk

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Optional mix-ins: 1 to 1 1/2 cups mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, blueberries, or dried or chopped fresh fruit

Instructions

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1. Heat the oven to 400ºF. Coat the wells of a standard 12-well muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

2. Whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda together in a medium bowl.

3. Whisk 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in 1 cup whole milk, 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until well-combined.

4. Stir in the flour mixture with a flexible spatula until just combined and no dry streaks are visible. Some small lumps are OK. Fold in 1 to 1 1/2 cups mix-ins, if using. Divide the batter among the muffin wells (1/4 to 1/3 cup per well).

5. Bake until the muffins are golden-brown, the tops bounce back when pressed, and a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Storage: The muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.

Further Reading

We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Ice Cream, and They All Said the Same Thing

Tuscan Chicken Is the "Most Delicious" Dinner of All Time, Says Everyone Who's Tried It

Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original