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

FAQs

Should you fill empty muffin tins with water? ›

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.

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.

The Verdict. The muffins that were baked with hot water did have bigger air pockets on the inside, resulting in a lighter and more airy texture.

In a muffin mix that calls for water, can I substitute milk? A. We don't recommend using milk instead of water because the milk can make holes in the paper liners or the sides of the muffins.

Martha White Apple Cider Flavored Muffin Mix, (Pack of 12)

Though you may notice a slight difference in texture, you can definitely substitute water for milk when preparing our muffin mixes!

Diced Fruit

Take your cake and muffin mixes to the next level by adding some sweet fruit. Try blueberries, peaches, strawberries, cooked apples or pears. But use whatever you have on hand or is in season.

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.

What can I use if I don't have cupcake liners for muffins? ›

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.

Allow Your Muffins to Cool

Allowing them to cool slightly in the pan before removing them will help keep them from falling apart. This being said, you only want to leave them in the pan for a short amount of time—about five minutes. Any longer, and you run the risk of your muffins going soggy as they cool off.

Use your mason jar lids: Mason jar lids are perfect for holding the cupcake liners. Set them on a baking sheet about two inches apart. Add the liners in the middle of the lids and fill as usual. The metal rims around the lids will create a barrier holding up the paper cups and you will get perfectly shaped cupcakes!

The fastest way to remove the cupcakes cleanly from the pan is to place a baking sheet on top of the muffin tin and invert. They should all come out in one fell swoop.

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.

If you grease too many muffin cups for the amount of batter, fill empty cups half full with water. This prevents the grease from scorching, pan from warping and the muffins will bake more evenly because the heat is more equally distributed in the pan.

Using the blueberry muffin recipe from The Bread Bible, the unused empty muffin cups are half filled with water. According to Rose Levy Beranbaum, it “prevents the heat from being drawn to them and adds moisture”.