Hearty Muffin Recipe with Walnuts, Oats and Applesauce (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to moist muffins? ›

The idea here is to start the muffins in a very hot oven for just a short amount of time. This activates the baking powder and allows the muffins to shoot up in height quickly. We then turn the heat down and continue to cook for longer. This is done to avoid over-browning and overbaking.

Too little fat will result in dry, less tender muffins.

If you've seen any of my muffin recipes, you know that I love to bake with yogurt. It helps keep the muffins light and moist while adding a healthy dose of protein, fat, and calcium!

Structure - although oil makes baked goods very moist and longer lasting than butter, for high rising baked goods that need more structure, like muffins, butter is a better choice. Butter is wonderful for incorporating air into baked goods.

If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.

The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour

Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.

Rest the Muffin Batter

The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.

Sour Cream/Yogurt: I recommend full fat sour cream or full fat or low fat plain yogurt. I don't recommend fat-free for either. Milk: I like to use buttermilk or whole milk in this recipe because either add wonderful moisture and flavor.

How do you make oatmeal consistency better? ›

Whole milk yogurt works best and brings a big reduction in fat, plus more protein and calcium. Baked goods made with yogurt as a straight substitute for sour cream will turn out less tender, lighter in texture and have a tangier, less buttery flavor.

If you replace yogurt with skim milk, you'll be doing several things that might affect the flavor and texture of your muffins. Yogurt adds both fat and acid to the recipe. Fat tenderizes baked goods by interfering with gluten development. The acid in yogurt reacts with baking soda for a better rise.

These proteins contribute a fluffy structure to cake or quick breads. So when substituting, just keep in mind: Sour cream = more dense and rich; Greek yogurt = more airy and moist.

Choosing vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.

Brush the muffins with milk while they're still hot, and the milk will soften the crust enough to make the muffins enjoyable again. Cream or half-and-half also will work and make the muffins taste slightly richer.