This kitchen tested muffin batter creates extra large bakery-style muffins with big muffin tops and dense, moist centers. Create plenty of flavors using this as the base—1 muffin batter with endless options.
I love light, fluffy, cupcake-style muffins and you can find my base recipe for cakey muffins in this master muffin recipe post. But I (and maybe you!) also enjoy big muffins with a tight crumb, moist and dense center, and a tall crunchy muffin top. I call these “bakery style” and that’s what you’ll find today, my master bakery style muffin recipe.
These Bakery Style Muffins Are:
- Jumbo in size, but you can easily bake in a standard or mini muffin pan
- Sky-high with big muffin tops
- Moist and dense inside
- Topped with crunchy coarse sugar
- Adaptable to many different flavors
And I know you’ll appreciate this as much as I do: there’s no mixer required and the batter comes together in less than 10 minutes.
Behind the Recipe
Feel free to jump to the full written recipe and instructions below. If you’re interested in how and why this recipe works, let me explain. I’ve made a few notable changes from when I first published these bakery style muffins. The recipe, as originally written, produced wonderful muffins but they dried out quickly and tasted overly dense. In the past few years, I’ve worked to improve it by replacing some of the oil with melted butter, some baking powder with baking soda, and adding sour cream for moisture and lightness. (If you’d like the original recipe, see my recipe note.)
A look at the ingredients:
- Flour: We use a lot of flour to keep the batter thick and sturdy, as well as to keep the add-ins (chocolate chips, berries, nuts, etc) elevated.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Significant rise requires a lot of leavener. I used to use all baking powder, but I recently began adding a touch of baking soda too. In addition to leavening, a little baking soda helps brown the exterior.
- Cinnamon: I usually use cinnamon in this master muffin mix, but leave it out if it doesn’t fit well with the other flavors. For example, I use it when I make banana or apple muffins but skip it when I make berry muffins. It’s an optional ingredient.
- Vanilla Extract & Salt: Use both for flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs add moisture and bind everything together.
- Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt: Sour cream helps keep the muffins extra moist. If needed, you can use plain yogurt instead.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar to sweeten these muffins. I used to use some brown sugar and some white granulated sugar, but brown sugar weighed the muffins down. If desired, though, you can always use 1/2 cup (100g) white granulated sugar and 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar.
- Oil & Butter: Oil produces a moist, tender muffin. Combine with melted butter for extra fat, moisture, and a little flavor.
- Milk: Milk adds plenty of moisture and lightens up the crumb. I usually use whole milk or buttermilk.
- Coarse Sprinkling Sugar: I recommend a sprinkle of coarse sugar for crunchy, sparkly muffin tops. I like Sugar in the Raw or you can use white sparkling sugar sprinkles, usually found with the sprinkles in the baking aisle.
Several Bakery Style Muffin Recipes in 1
Let’s talk flavor options. Add-ins and flavors are totally up to you! Pictured above are banana nut muffins and mixed berry muffins. I also use this bakery style muffin recipe for my raspberry chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip muffins, and jumbo blueberry muffins.
- Banana Nut Muffins (pictured above) – Follow the master recipe below. Increase cinnamon to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons, leave out the melted butter and replace with 1 cup of mashed banana (about 2 large bananas, mashed), increase oil to 1/2 cup (120ml), and use 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts as the add-in. In addition to coarse sugar, I like to add a few thin slices of bananas on top of each muffin before baking. *The banana nut muffins become pretty dense after a couple days, but warming in the microwave for 10-15 seconds lightens them up again.
- Mixed Berry Muffins (pictured above) – Follow the master recipe below. Leave out the cinnamon and use 2 cups of mixed berries as the add-in such as any combination of blackberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries, and/or blueberries.
- Jumbo Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins (muffin batter pictured above)
- Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Jumbo Blueberry Muffins (pictured below)
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins – Follow the master recipe below. Add 1 extra teaspoon of cinnamon and use 2 cups of diced, peeled apple as the add-in.
Or use any combination of berry, fruit, nut, chocolate chips, etc. As long as the total amount of add-ins is between 1-2 cups, you’re golden! You can also add vanilla icing to the warm muffins right before serving, or replace the coarse sugar with the same crumb topping I use for these apple cinnamon muffins.
- How to add the crumb topping: Fill the muffin cups only about 3/4 full and gently press the topping down into the batter so it sticks. You’ll have enough batter for more muffins since you’re only filling the cups 3/4 full.
4 Success Tips for Jumbo Muffins
- Thick muffin batter: Thick batter helps ensure the muffins lift UP rather than spread OUT. It also creates a denser muffin instead of a light and cake-y cupcake style muffin.
- Use a jumbo muffin pan: I can’t find a link to the exact jumbo muffin pan I use (it’s about 12 years old), but I swear by USA Pan for other bakeware. A jumbo muffin pan holds 8 ounces of batter. These are big muffins!
- Fill the muffin pans to the very top: Since we’re using an initially high oven temperature trick (explained next), it’s imperative to fill the muffin cups to the very top. You can make this recipe as 6 large muffins (shown), 14-15 standard size muffins, or about 40 mini muffins.
- Bake at an initially high oven temperature: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in a very hot oven. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake. I do this in all my muffin recipes.
Master Bakery Style Muffin Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 jumbo muffins or 15 standard muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This kitchen tested muffin batter creates extra large bakery style muffins with big muffin tops and dense, moist centers. Create plenty of flavors using this as the base– 1 muffin batter with endless options.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons; 80g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream or yogurt, at room temperature*
- 1 cup (240ml) milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 cups add-ins (see blog post above for suggestions)
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Generously grease a 6-count jumbo muffin pan with butter or nonstick spray (nonstick spray recommended) or line with muffin liners. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, oil, sugar, and eggs together until combined. Then whisk in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mixture will be pale yellow. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until completely combined. Use a whisk to rid any large lumps of flour, if needed. Avoid overmixing. The batter will be thick. Fold in the add-in(s).
- Divide batter between each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (for added crunch, recommended!). Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown and centers are set. Stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin to test for doneness. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan before serving.
- Cover leftover muffins and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 6-Count Jumbo Muffin Pan | Jumbo Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Oil: Vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil work best in this recipe.
- Sour Cream/Yogurt: I recommend full fat sour cream or full fat or low fat plain yogurt. I don’t recommend fat-free for either.
- Milk: I like to use buttermilk or whole milk in this recipe because either add wonderful moisture and flavor. You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, but the lower fat milk you use, the less flavorful and moist your muffins will taste.
- Can I Make These into a Loaf? Definitely! You’ll have too much batter for 1 loaf, so I recommend 2 9×5 inch or 8×4 inch loaves. I’m unsure of the best bake time, but use a toothpick to check for doneness. 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. For about 40 mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F the entire time.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Original Recipe: This recipe was updated in 2020 since its original publish date in 2014. The muffins are now moister and softer. If you’d like the original recipe, follow above but make these changes to the ingredient list: increase baking powder to 4 teaspoons, leave out the baking soda, leave out the butter, increase oil to 1/2 cup (120ml), and leave out the sour cream.
Keywords: jumbo muffins
I have made these muffins several times as mixed berry, chocolate chip, and the raspberry Chocolate version. They all turned out so amazing and this is now my go-to muffin recipe! Thanks so much!
Sally, you are a GODDESS. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and i make almost all of the sweet stuff you post and i have to say I am never disappointed. i made these for mothers day and they turned out amazing!! lots of love from Pakistan xx
Just pulled them out the oven!!!!! My my house smells amazing! Sorry there’s no one home to appreciate the awesomeness of BANANA NUT MUFFIN wafting thru the air. They are beautiful. Golden, slight crunch on the top and moist inside. More dense then a cupcake but lighter than a bread. Perfect! Trying to resist eating more than one right now. Ooops too late. Well the first one doesn’t count because it’s a tester. LOL!
Thanks for this base mix.I bake a lot, A LOT. So much better than my old one. Love all the detailed info also. Except I do sub coconut oil. Can’t wait to try many more flavors!!!!!! Thanks again.
Any recommendations for using cream cheese?
This is an excellent recipe!! I just made it for the first time with my middle school class and it worked out really well! I usually have them select from my three standard recipes (pumpkin, blueberry, and banana), but now they can be creative and start with the same base to develop endless options. Some groups even made 3 different types in one pan. I gave them a wide variety of add-ins and no matter what they added, the muffins came out well. The favorite was an “apple pie muffin” where they sautéed the apples first and added a crumbled topping. They were so excited to taste their creations and this recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
I just made these an eating one still warm from the oven. They are the greatest banana muffins I have ever made!! Love the idea about the high temperature for the first 5 minutes. These were big. Moist and delicious. I thought 2 bananas would not be enough but it was plenty and the banana flavor came through just perfect!! Love love love them!!
I made the mixed berry cuz I was craving something sweet but not too sweet, and I had some frozen berries just lying around. They came out soo good and we’re so easy to make!!! Instead of using canola oil, I used melted coconut oil and also used the brown sugar, cinnamon an almond topping. The sweetness of the topping complimented the tart berries perfectly. Thanks for this recipe. It’s the second one of your’s I’ve tried and love it!!
Just finished baking the Very Berry Muffins mins ago…absolutely BEST muffins I have ever baked. So simple to make & taste bakery quality. Have a batch of chocolate chip muffins in the oven now, can’t wait! Family is still asleep, what a wonderful Sunday surprise to wake up to. Thank you so much!!
this by far the BEST muffin I have ever made! I made The Very Berry recipe and I am ready to try many others!!!!
I made the banana muffins today. I thought they lacked banana flavor and were not sweet enough.
Hey Sally
I’ve just prepared the banana muffins with my mom and they are absolutely amazing!!!! I’m so excited to try all the other recipes you have!
Thank you!!
Laura- Bolivia
Delicious! Tried this and made banana nut, wild blueberry, and raspberry/banana muffins to feed our choir during practice.
My taste tester husband loved them all. Will see in a few hours what the choir thinks. I love the science behind your recipes – very thoughtfully done.
Just made the banana muffins. These might be the best muffins ever made. The emergency veterinary clinic are getting lucky tomorrow!
I made these muffins with cranberries and dairy free. I used 1 cup of almond milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. They are very yummy.
Absolutely divine! Thanks
Dear Sally!
First of all I want to say thank you – all the recepies I have tried have been amazing. I swear I have made 20 patches of pumpkin spice muffins. Last night I felt baking Very Berry Muffins and I have to say that that are the best muffins I have ever baked in my entire life and I love the fact that you are very detailed with your recepies so a novice like me can get some background about the science behind it and use the knowledge to get creative.
Keep up the amazing job and I can’t wait to start trying out the banana bread series.
Oh my, my family will be very well feed this winter/Christmas season 🙂
Great post Sally! This is really good info! I just made the banana nut muffins and added bacon and peanut butter to some just to mix it up a liitle. They are great! Thanks 🙂
Lovelovelove this recipe! I used 1% milk and they are super moist! Thanks for sharing your recipes, its def helped expand my skills in the kitchen 🙂
THANK YOU!!! I’ve been looking for a good all around muffin recipe and this is it! Made the Very Berry mini muffins this morning for my kiddo and he loved them. They rose nicely at 375 and made more than 30 muffins…probably closer to 36-40. Will keep this as my go to recipe for the next time!!!
Hi Sally, your master muffin mix is great – I already used it a number of times and the result was always great. I woud like to ask if you have a chocolate muffin option – I saw some on your website but they are all skinny muffin versions, and I prefer standard ones.
These muffins are SO yummy! I used a mixture of almond flour, brown rice flour, and buckwheat flour instead of all-purpose to make the muffins gluten free. Then I divided the batter in half and added peaches to one half, and chocolate chips to the other half. They came out beautifully and taste delicious! 🙂 Thanks, Sally!
Hello Sally, what a great recipe. I’ve just made the Very Berry Muffins with blackcurrants from my garden. The muffins are awesome – thanks so much for the great recipe. I’ll definitely be making lots of different versions of these muffins – yum!
These muffins are awesome! I love the way they rise, and the texture is wonderful – light and fluffy. The flavor is really pleasing as well. I used standard muffin tins and doubled the recipe and there was a perfect amount. I made the apple version, but I can tell the basic mix will be really conducive to so many different flavor combinations. I like to freeze muffins individually to pull out for a snack or breakfast one at a time for my daughter. So, this will be my go to recipe to keep the freezer stocked with different kinds of muffins. Really well done recipe, Thanks!
OMG!! This is the best muffin mixture I have ever found. My muffins are usually stodgy and dense, but these are light and fluffy. Used the base mix and added peaches, extra cinnamon and nutmeg. Yumm!!
Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Gosh, thank you so very much for these recipes I can’t wait to make the Banana Nut Muffins this morning. So many blogs go on at ad nauseum about everything except the recipe I tuned in for. I appreciate the hints, tips and suggestions that you have included, they will be very helpful. I will be back when I’m through baking to see what other goodies you have to offer.
Hi Sally!
I’ve got 2 large bananas in my freezer waiting to be made into muffins…but I wanted to also add in rolled oats and dessicated coconut.
would you suggest i follow your banana nut recipe and substitute the nuts for oats and coconut or will I require more liquid for the oats?
Thank you!!
Oats and coconut instead of nuts is fine here.
Hi Sally! I love your recipes and how detailed you write; I know what to expect when I’m trying out the recipes. I’ve been looking for a nice banana muffin recipe and yours seems to be just what I’m looking for. One problem: I don’t want any nuts in the muffin. How would it result if I omitted adding the 3/4 cup of nuts?
Hi Deniz. You may just leave out the nuts. That’s no problem.
i made the apple/walnut version. they were good. looking forward to trying another flavor.
your cooking method is brilliant for a tall muffin. absolutely brilliant. i was sceptical but i had tall muffins!
thank you for sharing your recipe!
I was planning on making your Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel, but when I got home from work today, my mom had tossed out my ripe bananas! So instead i turned to your master recipe and made choc chip muffins, layering in the cinnamon streusel from the other recipe. they look gorgeous and I can’t wait to share them at work tomorrow!
Thank you so much for adding the UK measures to your recipes, i have been struggling to figure them out, this is a great help!
Thanks Sally for this wonderful recipe, these are the best berries muffins i’ve ever cooked!