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 Tbsp; 71g) 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 | Coarse Sugar
- 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 on why room temperature ingredients are important.
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I am so happy to have found this recipe, it’s exactly what I’ve been searching for. I love being able to use my 6ct muffin tin for ACTUAL jumbo bakery muffins. I’ve never gotten such a rise in the muffin tops before, truly impressive. I made the banana variation, added 1/2c peanut butter chips and 1/2c milk chocolate chips in place of nuts (at hubby’s request) and added the streusel crumb topping from the apple variation recipe. Oh, and I yielded 7 muffins and even filled all wells full to the top!
Oh my gosh! These are now my go to muffin recipe!! They were huge just the way I had hoped! Used diced apples and it was amazing.
Is there a way to make these muffins light and fluffy/more cake like? These come out too dense for me.
Hi Marnie, these bakery style muffins have a tight crumb, moist and dense center, and a tall crunchy muffin top. The other Master Muffins recipe produces light, fluffy, cupcake-style muffins.
Would it be OK to mix a large batch of the dry ingredients together to have on hand? I’m thinking of putting in a canister and just printing the wet ingredients out as an add x,y, z type thing.
Love all your recipes! Thank you
Hi Steff, yes, that should be fine. Enjoy!
I’m about to try this recipe out with my little man, but I’m trying it in mini muffins, so we’ll see how it goes! I’m making a chocolate chip version and lemon version. Thanks for this recipe. I’m excited to try them!
This recipe is excellent! Loved the fluffy soft centres with crispy tops. My modifications were to use self raising flour (due to laziness), as the extras I added raw oats, diced coconut, with cut strawberries on top. I replaced the butter with 2 mashed bannanas. Made 12 medium sized muffins. Absolutely delicious. Thank you Sally!
There used to a jumbo recipe without yogurt or sour cream that my family LOVED but I can’t seem to find it on your website anymore. Do you have a link to it?
Hi Sarah! I updated this recipe a few years ago. See the recipe Note to prepare the batter the older way: 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.
Fantastic recipe!!! I’ve been searching for a bakery style muffin that has the nice crispy top and a moist center. This is perfect. I did blueberry. Can’t wait to try other flavors!!
Hi! Im excited to try out this recipe 🙂 Would love your input on turning these into a Mocha or Cappucino flavored muffin? Would use coffee, not espresso powder. Any suggestions on this flavor profile would be amazing!
Hi Beth, we would recommend using espresso powder (start with about a teaspoon and then adjust for more/less in future batches) to impart that flavor. You could try replacing some (not all) of the milk with brewed coffee, but the muffins may lose some moisture that way. Let us know what you decide to try!
Sally,
Love your recipes! Can these muffins be prepared the night before, then baked in the morning ?
Hi Barbara! No, we don’t recommend making muffin batter ahead of time as it may not rise properly when baked.
I love this recipe! It’s really adaptable for any kind of add ins. I just made 3 batches to bring to work tomorrow; blueberry, cranberry orange and banana chocolate chip. They all look delicious and my place smells amazing. I can’t wait to see the reaction when I get to the office in the morning. Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!
Love all your recipes! I make blueberry all the time but would like to try rhubarb. How much rhubarb should I add and would there be changes to anything else?
Hi Julie, you could certainly use rhubarb as your add-in. We’d start with about 1.5 cups of chopped rhubarb. Let us know how they go!
Never have I ever made a good muffin…until now! Grateful for your sharing spirit.
I make so many of your recipes that I can’t choose a favorite because they have all been outstanding and my family and neighbors love when I share. This master muffin recipe is perfect for me to try many different additions. I had so many berries that I made this recipe with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and even blackberries. The batter was easy to work with and the jumbo muffins are just delicious. Thank you, Sally, for sharing your talents.
Since we’re making jumbo muffins, could this recipe be used for a quick bread, different baking time, of course.
Can’t see why not! Or, this blueberry muffin bread would act as a great base recipe for other add-ins.
I just saw my answer in Notes. Thanks!
Made this with my 4 year old! YUM! I used a high protein yogurt that we don’t like the taste of plain to up the protein content! Win win!
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of plain yoghurt?
Sure can!
Wonderful recipe! I made with mini chocolate chips. For next time, is there a good way to add maple flavor?
Hi Lisa! We haven’t tried turning this recipe into maple pecan muffins before and it would definitely require some specific testing. We’re sure you could try reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g) and adding 1/2 cup (120ml) of maple syrup with very little issue (but some great flavor!). And pecans would make a great add-in.
I added pecans and used the sugar swap trick you mentioned and added 1/2 tsp maple extract (because why not, right?) and I drizzled them with the maple icing from the Maple Brown Sugar Cookies, and they turned out amazing! Maple Heaven.
Can I use a replacement for sugar? My son is diabetic and I wanted to make his favorite muffins.
Hi Steffy! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Hi there, wondering if you had any luck with replacing the sugar in these muffins? I baked them for the first time and they worked so well but I am after something more savory for lunchboxes, so ideally no sugar. Was going to experiment with coconut sugar. Love to hear any savory variations
Managed to bake something so well for the first. Enjoyed the process of following your recipe, making it and tasting it!!
Fabulous Jumbo Muffins. I did lemon poppy seed. Will definitely try all the add ins. I should mention that I followed the recipe, only change was the add in: .5 tsp lemon extract, 1 tsp dried lemon rind & 3 tbsp poppy seed.
Hi Sally, i hope you see this!
How can i add cocoa powder to the recipe to make double chocolate muffins?
Hi Amy, cocoa powder can be a tricky (and very drying) ingredient, and it isn’t always a 1:1 swap with flour. Instead, we’d use our double chocolate muffins batter and make them jumbo-sized using the bake time and directions from here as a guide.
I never leave reviews for things, but I’ve made these muffins in the large, regular as well as mini size so many times and with so many different slight adjustments – different mix-ins, swapping white and brown sugar, different extracts – I have never had a bad experience!!!
Sally, quick question! I’ve enjoyed and loved your recipes for years. I am wanting to make jumbo muffins from a recipe that I make often! Would there be any reason I could not use the procedure of starting with a high oven temp then lowering with my recipe? Is there an ingredient that needs to be in the recipe that should be to preform ok? No baking powder in my recipe!
Hi Debbie! It’s hard to say for sure without trying the exact recipe ourselves. The trick works well with thick batters filled to the top of the muffin pan—if the batter is on the thinner side, it may spill over rather than rising up. Perhaps you could test with just one jumbo muffin first?
I made these this morning. I used frozen mixed berries, standard size muffin, no coarse sugar and they came out pale looking. The taste is pretty good but I’ve had great success with your banana nut recipe and can’t figure out what happened. Any ideas?
Hi Dana, my best guess is that the frozen berries lowered the temperature of the batter, so they may have needed a few extra minutes in the oven. If you try again, add a little more time until the tops are golden-brown. Hope this helps!
The chocolate chip muffin is the most requested one I make. Everyone loves them! I have an applesauce raisin cake recipe from my old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook that I would love to turn into muffins. Any suggestions?
Hi, do you think this would work to make almond poppy muffins, or would I need to add extra moisture to account for the poppyseeds? About how much poppyseed/almond extract would you recommend adding? I am looking for a dense muffin so this recipe base seems perfect. Thank you!
Hi Brianne, we’d start with about 3 Tablespoons of poppy seeds, and then you could add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract. Let us know if you give it a try!
I used 3 tablespoons of poppyseeds + 1 teaspoon of almond extract (+ the entire teaspoon of vanilla in the original recipe). Skipped the cinnamon, and made 12 regular size muffins at the time/temp suggested, added sugar in the raw on top and they came out PERFECT. Thank you so much!!!!
I great recipes. am attempting to make red currant muffins and am thinking about adding in crystallized ginger. Any thoughts on measurements for the currants and ginger?
We haven’t tested a muffin with crystallized ginger, but it sounds wonderful. We would love to hear what you try!
I want to make banana/blueberry muffins do I just follow the recipe and add 1 cup blueberries ?
Hi BJ! For banana blueberry muffins, we would add 1 cup blueberries to our banana muffins recipe.
You are my go to poster for recipes. They are alway wonderful. I finally know how to make the jumbo muffins I love these, thank you so much.
Thank you so much, Kathie!