Easy muffin recipes

Whether sweet or savory, best muffin recipes are infinitely variable. Because new combinations of ingredients are always possible, everyone is sure to find their own personal favorite. Here is the list of quick and simple muffin recipes.

• Preheat the oven. Muffins need a hot oven to rise properly. Preheat yours for 15 minutes, time enough to collect the ingredients and whip up the batter.
• Cool the melted butter. Hot melted butter can shock both the flour's glutens and the leavening agent, reducing the rise in the muffins. It can also lead to bits of scrambled egg in the batter. So give the melted butter about 5 minutes to cool down.
• Let the eggs come to room temperature. Cold eggs can shock the leavening and retard the roof of the muffin's famous hat. If you leave the eggs in their shell on the counter for about 15 minutes, they'll be just right. If you're in a hurry, place them in a bowl of room temperature water for 5 minutes before cracking them.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. The salt and leavening need to be evenly distributed throughout the flour before the mixture is added to the wet ingredients. This ensures the proper rise and texture once the muffins are baked.
• Fill the muffin cups three quarters full. Leave enough room for the muffins to expand as they bake. And don't press down when you fill the tins. The batter will naturally collapse in the oven's heat. If you have extra batter, either place it in extra tins or in individual, oven-safe, ½ cup, greased ramekins, or reserve the batter for a second baking. If you've used double-acting baking powder, it should be allright - the muffins won't be as light as those from the first baking, but they'll still be moist and tender.
• Work quickly. You can, of course, prepare the wet and dry ingredients separately, then take a break, perhaps to prepare the rest of the meal (although don't let the egg mixture sit at room temperature for more than 30 minutes). But don't dally once you've combined the wet and dry ingredients; spoon the batter into the tins and bake the muffins right away.
• Don't be quick to unmold the muffins. Once the tins are out of the oven, cool them on wire racks for at least 5 minutes, or sometimes longer for more delicate muffins. For the best structure, muffins need to let off steam in their tins, condensing slightly with the form holding them intact.