I turned my stale, almost expired milk into soft and fluffy muffins and I’m sharing the recipe with you. You’re gonna love them! Enjoy them plain or add chocolate chips, or blueberries, or whatever you want.
Yes, that gorgeous muffin you see right there only exists because my milk was going bad in the fridge and I had to do something with it because I don’t like wasting food.
Oh my gosh, they turned out so much better than I expected. My family asked me to them again literally the day after. They’re that good.
I can’t wait for you try them!
The Perfect Base: A Foolproof Basic Muffin Recipe
Why is it perfect? Because I tested it to be so!
These muffins are perfectly sweetened, they are flavorful, and they have the perfect crumb too! Take a look.
It’s a one-bowl recipe, y’all!
Yep. None of that multi-bowl mess here.
One whisk, one bowl, one muffin pan.
From Plain to Fancy: Easy Variations to Impress
We all know that vanilla milk muffins are basically the plain Jane of the baking world. But you know what? They’re like a blank canvas. And don’t worry, darlings… you don’t need to be Picasso to create something fabulous with these muffin variations. Actually, these ideas are so easy, you can just toss in whatever mix-ins you have on hand.
Here are a few ideas off of the top of my head:
Infuse Some Chocolate Delight
I highly recommend using semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (milk chocolate is just too sweet for this recipe). Your muffins will have beautifully dispersed pockets of melty chocolate in them. Pure bliss.
The Berry Interesting Twist
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries…you name it! Just add them in and you’ll have an aesthetically appealing, antioxidant-packed muffin. Hooray for health benefits masked in deliciousness!
Go Nutty
Add a little crunch to your muffins with nuts. Chop up some walnuts, pecans, or whatever nuts are cluttering up your pantry and mix them in. It’s an easy way to get some extra protein and fiber. And don’t forget to sprinkle them on top of the muffins before baking with some coarse sugar. Imagine how gorgeous they’d look!
Apples & Spice Makes Everything Nice
Add your spices at the beginning (with the sugars) and then fold in your chopped apples at the very end.
Important Note: If you plan on using sweet add-ins please be mindful of how much you add!
Leftover Milk Muffins
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Equipment
- Whisk
- Muffin/Cupcake Pan (Standard-Size)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (102g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (72g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (115g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (60ml/50g) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk (236ml/228g), 2% milkfat
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (283g) all-purpose flour
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) standard.
- To a large mixing bowl add both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1/2 cup (102g) granulated sugar, 1/3 cup (72g) light brown sugar, packed, 1/2 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Mix well.
- Add the butter and oil.1/2 cup (115g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, 1/4 cup (60ml/50g) vegetable oil
- Mix for about 1 minute until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Beat in the eggs.3 eggs
- Add the milk and vanilla extract.1 cup milk (236ml/228g), 2% milkfat, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Stir gently for just a few seconds until combined.
- Add the flour and mix slowly until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.2 1/4 cups (283g) all-purpose flour
- Line the muffin pan with muffin liners and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cups.
- Sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar (or more granulated sugar).
- Bake for 19 - 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the centers are no longer visibly raw.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for about 5 minutes more. Best served warm!
Video
Notes
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So, there you have it. You’re no longer a basic muffin maker. Congratulations! You’ve graduated to the upper echelons of muffin royalty.
Recipe Testing; How I created the Perfect Basic Muffin Recipe
So the first version of this recipe was almost spot on!
There were basically two things that needed fixing:
- The muffins were too dry!
The recipe needed more fat. - Overmixed.
I had to change the order in which I mixed some ingredients.
Here’s a picture of the first version:
Take a good look at that picture. Do you see the tunnels? It looks like something burrowed into my muffins. Well, that is a direct result of overmixing. You can see sunken holes in the tops of the muffins too.
With the first version I added the milk at the very end because this has worked well for me in the past with cake recipes but it definitely did not work here. So the next time around I made sure to incorporate the milk with the other wet ingredients and add the flour last.
As for the dryness, this was an easy fix as well! All I had to do was increase the butter and that’s it. The muffins turned out perfectly moist and they were even softer and perfectly pillowy as a result.
Can I use any type of milk for this recipe?
The muffins you see in the pictures were made with 2% milk and because of that I honestly think that any milk will work here. But obviously the fattier the milk the richer the muffins will be.
Is this an easy muffin recipe for beginners?
Yep. Like I said above, you mix everything in one bowl, you only need a whisk, and the instructions are really straightforward. The prep time is only like 15 minutes, too.
What makes these vanilla muffins so soft and fluffy?
So many ingredients in this recipe contribute to the soft and fluffy texture of these muffins.
The fats, the butter and oil, help to prevent gluten formation (which is what happens when you mix the flour with all of the other wet ingredients) and this basically means that instead of the end result being something on the tougher side like a typical yeast bread, these muffins are tender.
The fat from the eggs does the same thing too!
And, of course, the milk is directly responsible for that airy-pillowy softness. I was reminded of this when I was coming up with the recipe for my jumbo chocolate chip muffins.
Also, in my years of experience, I find that baking powder tends to yield a fluffier muffin so I almost always find myself adding it to my muffin recipes.
Can I add other flavors to these muffins besides vanilla?
Yes, of course! Almond extract would work as well, and lemon too. Heck, even coconut.