Adding Batter To Every Cup In A Muffin Tin Is A Rookie Mistake

The next time you want a baked treat, don't make it all about the cookies. Consider, perhaps, the vastly underrated, humble muffin. Muffins are much more than just a cupcake without frosting, and after all, you can eat a muffin first thing in the morning without a second glance. But sadly, muffins made in your kitchen at home rarely come out as good as those from a professional bakery. 

But one unexpected hack can make your muffins as good as any bakery's — just don't fill up every single muffin cup with batter. By only filling alternating cups in your muffin tin, you ensure that they rise well in the oven and come out with that lovely, wide-domed shape. Even though home bakers have typically been taught to fill every spot in order to bake off a whole batch in one swift cook time, it is worth the slight delay. The bakery perfection of these muffins will be well worth your patience.

When you fill up every muffin cup in the tray, you end up with misshapen muffin tops that rise out of the tin and into each other. You then have to cut through the conjoined muffin tops and are left with awkward straight edges. Or, you simply rip them apart and end up with a mess.

When you only fill up every second muffin cup, you give your batter plenty of room to rise up without crashing into the other muffins. This leaves you with perfectly circular muffin tops that get that crispy, golden edge that everyone agrees is the best part of the muffin. This can also help with cooking the muffins evenly, as the heat can better circulate around every individual muffin cup. 

Another personal hack of mine when filling up alternating cups is to add a bit of boiling water to the empty ones, which helps ensure that any lingering oil or batter that may have dripped on the pan doesn't burn. Plus, the steam helps to give the muffins a bit more rise. For even more lift on your next batch of lemon-free poppy seed muffins, make sure not to over-mix, and you can even try letting your muffin batter rest until the next day. With these tips, you'll never be tempted to reach for a fast food blueberry muffin again!