Muffin Recipe

Preheat and prep pan

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups lightly with butter or nonstick spray.

Measure and cool butter

Melt the butter and let it cool slightly while you measure other ingredients so it does not scramble the egg when mixed into the wet ingredients.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt until evenly mixed.

Combine wet ingredients

In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the 1 cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and homogenous.

Mix wet into dry

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined and no large streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine and give a tender crumb.

Fold in add-ins

Gently fold in 1 cup of optional add-ins (for example blueberries or chocolate chips) until evenly distributed. If using frozen berries, fold them in from frozen to avoid staining the batter; if using diced apples, toss them briefly in a teaspoon of flour before adding to prevent sinking.

Fill muffin cups

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full (roughly 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter per cup depending on cup size). Smooth tops slightly with the back of the spoon.

Top and sprinkle

If desired, sprinkle the tops with 1 tablespoon turbinado or coarse sugar for a crunchy top.

Bake

Bake in the preheated 400°F (205°C) oven for 15–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly. Muffins are done when the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).

Cool

Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool for at least another 15 minutes before serving. Cooling prevents soggy bottoms and finishes the crumb structure.