1. Mix wet and dry separately
To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine.
2. Don't over stir
The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. Instead, what you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Resist the temptation to stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, thick andfloury.
3. Add your flavours last
While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients likefruit andnutsshould be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in to combine.
4. Line the pan
You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, consider using paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer.
5. Use an ice cream scoop
Try using a soupe ladle or small ice cream scoop to transfer your mixture into muffin cups without making a mess.
6. Don't overfill
Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round topsand to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups.
7. Add a flavourful sprinkle
Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping for even more flavour. As the muffins rise these flavourful toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.
8. Fill up the pan
If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will protect the pan from buckling.
9. Cool it down
Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan.
10. Freeze for later
Muffins freeze wonderfully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're made, wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for later.
