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
Hi Sally, help!!! tried making this but turned out dry and crumbly. I didn’t add in the sour cream (don’t have any), subbed Stevia for the sugar (diabetic) and baked 200c (miscalculated) for 5 mins and 180c for 30 mins. Did I bake it too long, or does this recipe not work without the real sugar and cream? I’ll try again next time, but can I use normal cream instead of sour cream (don’t like the taste, sorry!).
Hi Cat, thanks for giving this recipe a try! For best results we recommend following the recipe as written. We haven’t tested these muffins with the changes you made- this recipe definitely needs the sour cream for structure and texture.
Thanks Hilari, I had better get me some sour cream then and get the bake temp & time right this time 🙂 Tasted almost perfect, it I think you’re spot on about it needing the cream. Is it possible to use self raising flour instead of plain?
Hey Sally –
I did up some blueberry muffins yesterday using this recipe. I really liked them, but I have some questions for how I can adjust it for the taste I’m looking for… So I did these for the 5 @ 425 and then 25-27 @ 350. I’m wondering if I need to go the 30 min for a more crunchy top? They felt so super soft/moist on the inside and yummy. They seemed light on the flavor….so if I want sweeter should I add more sugar? I think my “jumbo” pan might need to be a little more jumbo, I got 9 from the recipe, so I don’t know if that factors in?
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Hi LeAnn, You can try slightly increasing the sugar and feel free to increase any spices like cinnamon if you are using. We love sprinkling coarse sugar on top before baking which provides an extra sweet crunch on top. If your pan is larger then yes, the bake time will likely be a bit longer also. Thank you for trying this recipe!
I love this recipe and have used it over the years – thank you so much! Sometimes, I have only time to make the batter in one day and then bake it the next. Is there any adjustments I should be making to the baking soda/baking powder or the cooking time? I try to leave it out before I bake it, but it often does not get to room temperature before I have to pop it in the oven.
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Hello Sally! I absolutely LOVE this master recipe! Have made quite a few batches in the last few weeks. I would like to try a orange cranberry……..would you replace some of the milk for orange juice? And if so, how much?
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Hi Krista! So glad you enjoy these muffins. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries as the add-in. I recommend adding the zest of an orange and replacing 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of the milk with fresh orange juice.
Hello Sally!
I am starting to learn how to bake, thanks to your amazing recipes and really thorough explanations and tips! They’re very very helpful especially for beginners like me. I would like to ask though how to brown or toast the top of my muffins? Also, I just bought a conventional gas range with oven and I also have an oven thermometer. Would you happen to have any idea why the attached oven thermometer (thoermostat I think is how it’s called) and the oven thermometer that I bought separately have different temp reading? They’re off by about 20-30 degrees (I use Celsius). This is so confusing for newbies like me.
Thanks so much in advance for your help! 🙂
-Celeste
Hi Celeste, Unless you regularly calibrate your oven, your oven’s temperature is likely inaccurate. This is very common! See number 7 in Sally’s Top 10 Baking Tips for more information on this exact question!
I’m not a change loving person. Came to make theses today and so frustrated things changed.
Thanks for adding the original recipe steps in special instructions.
I’m glad that I can make the original muffins, and also that I have the steps for the 12 regular muffins not the jumbo!!
Also bummed that all the extra details about what to leave out and sprinkle on the top we’re Gone, I remember some cinnamon and sugar with banana and others was white sugar with the very berry. But I can play and figure those out.
I’m sure the new ones are great, but more costly adding in yogurt/sour cream and I loved the original with all my heart. Wish I printed off the recipe, but I now know people will change posts and if I like something I need to print it off before they change stuff around.
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Can I use this recipe to create a savory muffin? I’m trying to take my family’s traditional Thanksgiving stuffing and make a muffin version of it. I know I can just use the exact stuffing recipe and just bake it off in muffin tins but I don’t want the muffins to be so dense as the original recipe is.
Hi Gary, We haven’t attempted a savory muffin from this recipe, but I would start by reducing the sugar and adding your favorite savory add-ins. Let us know if you try it!
Hi Sally
You mention early on in your recipe to fill the muffin cups only about 3/4 full and gently press the crumb topping down into the batter so it sticks. But I’m not seeing any recipe for the crumb topping. Did I miss something?
Hi Tracy! Adding a crumb topping is optional and I list it above as an option to add (along with those other flavors or even icing, too!). You can replace the coarse sugar with the same crumb topping I use for these apple crumb 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.
Thanks for the quick response.
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I noticed that following the recipe on my mobile for your master recipe it doesn’t include vegetable oil but on my laptop version it does??? Is it missing off the mobile version??
Hi! Double checked on mobile and desktop on various browsers and it looks like the recipes are exactly the same in both places. Are you confusing it with this particular muffin batter by chance?
Hi from Chile!! Just made them. Used the master muffin + Banana and chocolate chips. OMG, they are soooo good!! thank you for the recipe!!
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I’ve been looking for a good muffin base recipe. I can’t wait to try this one. Do you think it would work for carrot muffins? Add 1 cup of grated carrots, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup nuts?
That should work, Elizabeth. Let me know if you try it!
I’m a culinary school graduate and I LOVE your recipes. Hands down my go to for anything baking. I made some for my husband to take to work and everyone ate them. I look forward to trying so many others. I’m very impressed.
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Has anyone tried using gluten free flour to make these? Trying to eliminate as much gluten as I can.
Hi Sally!
Could I use this recipe to make lemon poppyseed muffins?
Thanks,
Andrea
Hi Andrea, I suggest using my recipe for blackberry lemon poppy muffins and you can leave out the berries if you wish.
Okay I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve started baking quite a bit more lately, but for muffins i’ve stuck to the muffin mixes from I really like that they have whole grains and a little extra protein, but I want to try something from scratch. Have you used their mixes? Slash, have you tried baking your recipe with whole wheat flour? Or is All-purpose deliver the best results?
Hi Sandra, If you search my recipes by ingredient (Whole Wheat Flour Recipes) you will find many options for muffins made with whole wheat flour!
These are beautiful Sally. I made them in condolence for the lady across the street who lost her husband to a non-covid illness. I’m hoping they bring her a tiny bit of joy. Sad that her grieving is confined to home for now. Scary times we live in but I knew I could count on your muffin recipe! Thank you !
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Hi Sally! If I wanted to make banana oat muffins, should I add less flour to the recipe?
Thanks for all the ideas 🙂
Hi Lauren, Do you mean replace some of the flour with ground oats? If so, that should work. Let me know if you try it!
Hello Lauren,
I did it 3 times with different variations but the principle is the same. I used half and half flour and oatmeal. 2/3 of the oats I put in a blender or food processor to get a kind of powdered oatmeal and the remaining 1/3 I soak in milk for 2 hours (I think time depends on type of oatmeal). In the first two tries my muffins tended to falling apart when bitten, they did not get the same consistency and firm structure as with 100% flour.
On my last try, I added an extra egg, I allowed more time to soak the oats in milk and I added 2 bananas and I got more structure but they still keep falling apart although much less than the first two times.
Excellent muffins! I have made these twice now, once the basic recipe and I added chocolate chips, and the second time I made the banana nut version. Both times these muffins were rich and moist and everything you could want in a muffin! Thank you so much for this master mix recipe! I see apple cinnamon crumb muffins coming up this weekend. lol Thank you also for the baking tips for how to get muffins to raise higher. I have made a lot of muffins in my time and had never done this before. What a difference in the height and fullness of the muffins. I will use that tip from now on! Thank you again for the delicious recipe and the wonderful tips!
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I went super rogue, making half recipe with GF flour, extra virgin olive oil, and applesauce + a bit of water instead of milk. Folded in chocolate chips and pecans. They still came out delicious and raised well. This recipe is super versatile!
Hi Sally,
I’ve made your apple crumb muffins many times already and were happy with the results, however I just made your recipe for very berry muffins using the master muffin recipe and adding in blueberries and raspberries and found the batter mixture runny and not consistent with the apple crumb batter. I made it a second time carefully measuring all the ingredients and still had a runny batter compared to what your instructions noted that this was supposed to be a thick batter. Was there a typo in the liquid ingredients for this muffin recipe? Otherwise, I enjoy using your recipes!
Hi Kay! I’m just seeing your comment now. The apple crumb muffins actually come from a different batter. This batter uses different ingredients and a different ratio of wet to dry. That being said, it still shouldn’t be runny. Make sure you are properly measuring the ingredients.
I loved this recipe. I did use the 1/2 cup brown sugar and used coconut oil instead of butter. However, since I only had canned fruit, I rinsed a tropical mix under cold water and drained it, then coated the fruit with a small bit of flour and added 1/4 cup dried coconut flakes. I also used some homemade granola to top the muffins. My family loved them. Thank you for this basic recipe. It will be one of my “Go To’s”.
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Got compliments for the first time!!
What a wonderful recipe, Sally. Thank you so much for perfecting the ingredients, method and quantities to make it so easy to get a good result! I will make these very often for people. God bless you.
Hi Sally! A huge fan over here! I bake this recipe in a small bundt. Orange or lemon zest and glaze, “zebra style” with some cocoa powder in half the batter, apple and crumb… endless. Love all the options.
This will now be my go to muffin recipe. They turned out amazing!! ❤️
Thank you, Sally, for sharing your expertise and great hints for successful muffins! I will try some of your varieties – and am confident they will be great!
I just made the banana nut muffins and for once, completely followed all the directions (usually I am just winging it). These muffins are so GOOD and the banana slice on the top with the stressel topping is unbelievable ! Thanks Sally for being so detailed in your instructions!
I replaced the cinnamon in the berry recipe with grated lemon rind and it turned out really good. I just add it to the dry ingredients instead of the cinnamon. It adds a more fruity flavor to the flavor of the berries.
Also, I tossed the berries with a little bit of the flour before mixing up the wet and dry ingredients. When they’re coated with flour they don’t bleed into the rest of the batter at all. Thanks for the great recipe! They turned out DELICIOUS!
Love love love this master mix! Asking for your help! I work in a cafeteria and need a “large batch” of master mix. Think this would work if it was doubled or even tripled?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! I use them daily!!!!
Hi Kathleen! I don’t see a problem with that at all, but there may be too much batter. Fill the loaf pan 2/3 – 3/4 full, then use any extra batter for muffins.
Perfect! A bread for him and some muffins for me 🙂 thank you!