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master muffin with mix-ins on a plate
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4.86 from 14 votes

Basic Master Muffin Recipe with Mix-in Ideas

This basic master muffin recipe is delicious as-is, and it's essentially a blank canvas for all your favorite add-ins.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Muffins and Quickbreads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: master muffin recipe, muffin add ins, muffin mix ins
Servings: 12
Calories: 172kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

For the muffins

  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup (135 grams) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 8 tablespoons (112 grams) butter
  • 1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Suggested mix-ins (use up to 3 cups total)

  • Refer to the notes section below

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center.
  • Grease a standard 12-muffin pan or line with paper liners.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
  • Melt the butter. I like to do this at half power in the microwave in a 4-cup glass measuring cup.
  • Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stop when there are no pockets of unmixed dry ingredients. Batter will not be perfectly smooth.
  • Stir in any additions and divide evenly among prepared muffin cups.
  • Bake until a tester comes out without wet batter on it, 12 to 15 minutes or more depending on what you’ve added to the muffins.
  • Let cool for a couple of minutes in the pan before unmolding to cool on a rack. 
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Muffins are at their prime on baking day. But, once cooled, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
  2. Instead of buttermilk, you can use regular milk (anywhere from skim to cream). If doing so, omit the baking soda and use only the baking powder.
  3. You can substitute four to six tablespoons of a neutral-tasting oil (such as canola, safflower, or vegetable oil) for the butter if you like. I prefer the taste of butter.
  4. You can substitute light brown sugar for the sugar if you like.
  5. You can freeze muffins either before or after baking. To freeze beforehand, portion batter into paper-lined muffin tins and place in freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer to a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. To bake, return frozen batter to muffin cups and add about five minutes to baking time.
  6. To freeze baked muffins, cool completely, then place into a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. Reheat frozen muffins on baking sheet in the center of a 350°F oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
  7. You can use this recipe to make about 48 mini muffins or 6 jumbo muffins. Bake minis for about 10 minutes and jumbos for about 22. As with regular muffins, bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out without raw batter on it. If jumbo muffins start to brown too much, you can cover them loosely with foil or reduce the oven temperature to 350°F after the first 10 minutes of baking.

Suggested add-ins

I like to aim for three cups total mix-ins. Often this takes the form of two cups chopped fruit plus one cup chopped nuts, but possibilities abound.

Fresh fruit

Try two cups of any of the following, or a combination. If using frozen fruit, defrost it thoroughly and drain all liquid, then pat dry.
  • Diced firm-ripe banana
  • Diced ripe peaches or nectarines
  • Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or other small berries, or diced strawberries
  • Halved or quartered cherries or sour cherries
  • Diced apple or pear

Chopped nuts

I like to limit nuts to one cup.
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans
  • Macadamias
  • Slivered almonds
  • Pistachios
  • Poppy seeds (limit to 2 tablespoons)

Dried fruit

Add up to a cup of dried fruit, chopped if large. You can add it directly or plump it up a bit first by letting it sit in very hot water for an hour before using.
  • Raisins or golden raisins
  • Diced apricots
  • Cherries
  • Sweetened cranberries
  • Diced strawberries

Cooked meats

These muffins have a sweet flavor profile, but certain meats work well as mix-ins with the same vibe as "accidentally" getting some of your pancakes' maple syrup on your bacon. Use a cup of:
  • Crip-cooked and crumbled bacon
  • Cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage
  • Diced cooked ham

Chocolate chips

Yeah, I'm giving these their own category. Use a total of a cup of any of these, alone or in combination:
  • Bittersweet, semisweet, milk, or white chocolate chips
  • Mini chips
  • Peanut butter or toffee chips

Additional seasonings

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon, lime, or orange
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • ½ teaspoon chocolate extract

Toppings

In addition to mixing in, sometimes it's nice to top your muffins for added decoration and texture. Simply place a small amount of any of these ingredients atop each muffin by hand right before baking.
  • Raw old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Pepitas
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Coarse sugar

Favorite combinations

  • Lemon poppy seed (lemon zest, poppy seeds, lemon extract if you like)
  • Apple walnut (diced apple, cinnamon, walnuts, topped with oats)
  • Berries, white chocolate, and macadamia
  • Peach walnut (pictured in video)
  • Dried cherry, pistachio, bittersweet cocolate
Adapted from Joy of Cooking. I first published a version of this recipe here way back in 2009. I've since made substantial updates to both the post and the recipe itself.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.2g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 6.9g | Fiber: 0.4g