Muffin Baking Tips

To produce muffins with a high, rounded crown, use fresh baking powder and baking soda

For nicely rounded muffin tops, grease the bottom of muffin cups and fill only halfway up the sides

Do not over fill muffin cups, fill only 3/4 full to produce muffins with high, rounded crowns.

Even when using pre-sifted flour, you will get better results if you sift the flour before measuring

Dust nuts and fruit with flour before adding to batter or try toasting nuts first to keep nuts and fruit pieces from sinking in the batter while baking.

Muffin batter should be lumpy. Only stir the batter until dry ingredients are moistened. A smooth batter results in tough muffins with pointed peaks

To make uniform muffins, use an ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly in the muffin tins

Put a couple of tablespoons of water in unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping

Cover left over batter and refrigerate while each batch of muffins bakes

Muffins brown more evenly when baked on the middle rack of the oven

For a quick, crunchy topping, sprinkle tops of muffins with granola before baking

To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done

If muffins stick to the bottom of the pan, set the pan on a hot, damp towel for a few minutes, and they can be easily removed

Cool low-fat muffins completely to prevent them from sticking to the paper liners

To reheat leftover muffins, microwave on high for 15 to 30 seconds. Be careful not to overheat muffins or they will become dry and hard

Muffins can be frozen up to two months. To freeze, cool muffins completely then wrap tightly in heavy aluminum foil or seal in a plastic freezer bag

To reheat frozen muffins, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and place in a 400°F (204°C) oven for 25 minutes