43 Unexpected Muffin-Tin Recipes You've Never Tried (2024)

FAQs

Why fill empty muffin cups with water? ›

If you've used all your batter but still have empty cups remaining in the tin, fill each empty cup with a few tablespoons of water. This will promote even baking, and can help keep the tin from warping as the muffins bake.

Take any basic batter, from brownie batter to cake batter to muffin batter, and spread it onto a parchment-lined (or well-greased) sheet pan with high edges. Bake until just set and golden on the edges, then remove from the oven and let it cool.

You can use alternative items such as ramekins, silicone baking cups, or even a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper to bake muffins without a muffin tray.

Can I use milk instead of water to make muffins? We recommend using water; however we know that some Makers prefer to use milk to make muffins. Using milk can change the texture of the muffin to be more like a cupcake.

The fluffy batter is what gives cupcakes their soft, spongy texture. Muffins, on the other hand, are moist and dense. Another important difference between a cupcake and a muffin is that cupcakes tend to have more sugar and so they're a lot sweeter than muffins.

Your muffins will come out exactly the same whether the empty cups are filled with water or not. Adding or not adding the water shouldn't effect your muffin pan, either, so go ahead and fill only half the muffin cups with batter if you like. For more tips on making muffins, see our video, How to Make Bran Muffins.

Muffin pans and cupcake pans are exactly the same.

However, in yet another difference between cupcakes and muffins, cupcakes always use liners and muffins are often baked without liners.

Method 1: Paper cupcake liners can work without a cupcake tray, especially if you are careful not to overfill the liners. You can then place them in a snug pan that will keep 5-6 paper liners upright.

First, cut a sheet of parchment into five-to-six-inch squares. Then, place the squares over the holes in the muffin tin, and use the heel of a small glass to mold the paper into the indent.

Why did my muffins stick to the pan even though I greased it? ›

Over-baking is the primary cause of stubborn muffins, even with a greased pan.

Depending on what ingredients you're using, the batter will range from runny (like thin cake batter) to very thick (like drop-cookie dough). As a general rule, the thinner the batter, the lighter the muffins will be when baked. But don't be afraid to bake thick, gloppy batter.

The key to a flat, even cupcake is to bake low and slow. Instead of a high temperature for a short time, I do the opposite. I bake all of my cupcakes and cakes at 140°C for a longer time, so for these cupcakes I will bake for at least 35-40 minutes. The extra time in the oven is worth it when you see the end result.

The steam creates gases (water vapor) within the dough to expand granules. Bread tends to bake quickly in the first few minutes of baking and the water aids in slowing down the process just enough. Steam also helps with making a crispy crust.

Filling a couple of the muffin cups with water before you bake won't just give you a tender crumb. It could also help even out your baking process in general, helping each cupcake bake all the way through instead of having a crumbly top and bottom and well-baked interior.

But if you expect to use them for stand-alone (no pan) baking – don't. They tend to flatten out from the pressure of the rising batter. Bottom line, muffin papers help your muffins and cupcakes in a variety of ways, some subtle, some more apparent... Like this cupcake disaster.