small batch cranberry orange muffins

About These Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

These small batch cranberry orange muffins are a variation of the popular small batch blueberry muffin recipe on Hummingbird High (which was also featured in The New York Times!). I replaced the blueberries with dried cranberries and added both orange zest and extract to the batter for flavor. However, fear not! Despite these changes, these small batch cranberry orange muffins still have all the qualities you love.

The muffin base is soft and moist and studded with tart cranberry fruit. You can use fresh or dried cranberries in the recipe. And the muffin tops are the real star: tall, domed, and sprinkled with lots of granulated sugar for crunch and flavor. The best part? The recipe makes only 4 muffins, perfect for a small household!

@hummingbirdhigh #muffins #muffintop #bakingrecipe ♬ The Great British Bake Off – Tom Howe

Looking for more small batch muffin recipes? Check out these Small Batch Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Small Batch Blueberry Muffins, Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, and Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (and the just plain ol’ pumpkin muffins, too!).

small batch cranberry orange muffins

Why You Should Make The Recipe

In addition to being extremely delicious, here are all the reasons to make small batch cranberry orange muffins:

The recipe is based on a tried and true muffin recipe.

This recipe is adapted from my small batch blueberry muffin recipe, which is one of the most popular recipes on Hummingbird High to date. The recipe makes only 4 muffins, but each with a beautiful, distinctive domed muffin top. The recipe was very popular in 2020, as many folks were hunkered down during quarantine and unable to share baked goods.

In fact, it was so ubiquitous that even The New York Times noticed! They featured the recipe in an article about small batch baking, complete with a seal of approval from the New York Times Cooking test kitchen.

The recipe is VERY small batch.

Most muffin recipes make at least a DOZEN muffins. That’s a lot, especially if there’s nobody to share the spoils with. But this cranberry orange muffin recipe is small batch and makes a grand total of just FOUR muffins. It’s perfect for a small household of 2 to 4 people.

This recipe is the perfect recipe for beginner bakers looking to step up their baking game.

This is the perfect recipe for folks who have mastered basic baking recipes like cookies and brownies, but want to take things to the next level. This small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe makes bakery-style muffins, but with techniques that are attainable for any home baker.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make these small batch cranberry orange muffins, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • fresh oranges
  • dried cranberries
  • granulated sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • whole milk
  • orange extract OR oil
  • unsalted butter
  • large eggs
  • vegetable oil cooking spray

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:

Oranges

You need the fresh zest and juice from one large orange to make small batch cranberry orange muffins.

How big is a large orange?

Although there aren’t any standard and set definitions for orange sizes, a quick Google tells me that a medium orange is roughly the size of a tennis ball, while a large orange is roughly the size of a soft ball or even baseball. Either a medium or large orange works in this recipe. Larger oranges will give you more zest, which will lead to more flavorful muffins.

What about smaller citrus fruits like mandarins and clementines? Can I use their zest in this small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe?

Yes, absolutely! If you’re using a smaller citrus fruit, I recommend using the zest from 3 to 4 of these varieties. Just note that mandarins and clementines have a slightly different flavor from oranges. As a result, your muffins will taste more like those citrus fruits.

Can I use a different, non-orange citrus like limes or lemons for these small batch cranberry orange muffins?

Yes, absolutely! Both lime and lemon work wonderfully with cranberries. Just note that, if you go this route, your muffins will no longer taste like cranberries and oranges. Instead, they will taste like cranberries and whatever citrus fruit you chose. I know it seems silly for me to spell that out, but you should see some of the questions I get asked!

That being said, note that you also need orange extract for these muffins. If you’re using lemons or limes instead, you may want to swap out the orange extract with the appropriate extract. You could also just use vanilla extract—however, your muffins won’t taste very citrusy.

Dried Cranberries

You need 1 and ¼ cups dried cranberries to make small batch cranberry muffins.

The Best Dried Cranberries For Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

Because fresh cranberries are usually so tart and sour on their own, dried cranberries are sold sweetened. However, this recipe already uses a lot of sugar for both the batter and muffin topping. Because of this, I recommend using dried cranberries that are unsweetened. I used these unsweetened dried cranberries from Amazon. I also recommend these Honestly Cranberry Unsweetened Dried Cranberries.

If you can’t find unsweetened cranberries at your supermarket, no worries! Grocery stores usually sell “low-sugar” varieties. Opt for these ones over the “regular” brands. And if no low-sugar varieties are available, no worries, too! You can still use regular dried cranberries in this recipe. However, your muffins will likely come out sweeter than mine.

Can I use fresh cranberries in this small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe?

Absolutely! In fact, I recommend it. Using fresh cranberries will lead to a fresher, moister muffin that’s less susceptible to burning in the oven.

If you use fresh cranberries, there’s no need to change anything about the recipe. However, you may want to skip soaking the cranberries in juice. It won’t be necessary to soak the fresh fruit. You may also need to add a few minutes to the Bake Time. It’s likely that the muffins will bake for 22 to 24 minutes, as opposed to the 20 to 22 minutes listed in the recipe below.

Can I use frozen cranberries in this small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it.

Per the Baker’s Tips in the yellow box below, the secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did. Furthermore, using frozen cranberries straight from the freezer has a tendency to make these muffins stick to the pan.

That being said, you can use frozen cranberries in this recipe. However, you’ll need to prep them by thawing them and making sure they’re completely at room temperature before using them in this recipe. As the cranberries thaw, they’ll release liquid. Dump that liquid out before using it in the recipe.

You may also want to skip soaking the thawed cranberries in the orange juice. It won’t be necessary to moisten the fruit!

Orange Extract OR Oil

You need ½ teaspoon orange extract OR oil to make small batch cranberry orange muffins.

What is orange extract?

Orange extract is similar to vanilla extract. However, instead of flavoring baked goods with vanilla bean flavor, orange extract flavors baked goods with orange! Most major grocery stores sell orange extract. Check the baking aisle near the vanilla extract.

Just note that, unlike pure vanilla extract (which is made from natural ingredients like vanilla beans), most orange extracts are made from artificial flavors made in a lab. If you want to go the all natural route, I recommend splurging for food-grade orange oil (see below).

What is orange oil?

In a fancy gourmet ingredient shop, you’ll see bottles of citrus oil alongside bottles of citrus extract. Here’s the difference between the two: extracts are made by extracting the flavor of the source ingredient into alcohol. For instance, manufacturers typically make vanilla extract by steeping vanilla beans in alcohol for an extended period of time. Similarly, manufacturers sometimes make orange extract by steeping orange rinds in alcohol. More likely, however, manufacturers artificially recreate orange flavor for extract in a food lab.

On the other hand, manufacturers make flavoring oils by squeezing essential oils from the ingredient itself. That means that orange oil is actually made from oils squeezed out of orange rinds and zest. As a result, orange oil is much more concentrated and intense than orange extract. Its flavor is much purer and clearer, without any of the sharp alcohol taste you can sometimes get from extract.

You can learn more about the differences between flavoring extracts and oils in this Kitchn article.

The Best Orange Extract and Orange Oil

What orange extract do I recommend? Honestly, I don’t have a favorite. I’ve used generic orange extract from Safeway, and fancy orange extract from Frontier Co-Op and Nielsen-Massey. Maybe I’m a bad baker, but I couldn’t taste the difference! So just use whatever you have on hand or personally like best.

That being said, I do have a recommendation for orange oil: Boyajian Pure Orange Oil. I use their lemon oil too (see: these Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins) and love it! Just watch out—it’s on the pricey side. You can definitely find other orange oils on Amazon for cheaper. Just make sure they are food-grade. Orange oil for essential oils is NOT safe for consumption!

I don’t want to buy orange extract or oil. Can I skip it in this recipe for small batch cranberry orange muffins?

Although you can technically skip the orange extract/oil in this recipe, I don’t recommend it. Why? Your cranberry orange muffins won’t taste very orangey! Orange zest can only take you so far. You need the extract/oil for additional flavor.

Can I use fresh orange juice in this small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe instead?

Yes, but again, I don’t recommend it. Orange extract/oil is concentrated orange flavor. You’d need to use a LOT of orange juice to match the extract/oil’s flavor. And then to compensate for the additional juice, you’d need to alter the amounts of flour, sugar, and eggs. I don’t know the exact measures for everything since I’ve never done it myself.

Cooking Spray

Instead of using paper liners for the muffins, I follow Levain Bakery’s muffin making technique and instead spray the muffin pan’s cavities with cooking spray. Please see the Troubleshooting section below if you want to use paper liners.

What cooking spray do you recommend for these small batch cranberry orange muffins?

These muffins work best with a neutral oil cooking spray like canola or vegetable oil. I have no idea why, but the muffins have a tendency to get stuck to the pan with coconut oil and avocado oil sprays. Trust me—I’ve tried both!

I also recommend using a flour-based spray like Baker’s Joy or Pam. These are neutral oil cooking sprays with flour to make baked goods release from pans even easier.

Can I use butter instead of cooking spray?

No, please don’t. While I am not usually opposed to greasing your pans with butter, that method doesn’t work well with this small batch cranberry orange muffins. The muffins have a tendency to get stuck to the pan.

slice of small batch cranberry orange muffins

How To Make Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

Here are the basic steps to make small batch cranberry orange muffins from scratch:

First, prep the ingredients.

  1. Prep all the ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    For this recipe, it’s especially important that you pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe. That means bringing the milk, butter, and egg down to room temperature. Using cold ingredients will lead to muffins that won’t rise and dome as well as mine. Additionally, your muffins are more likely to get stuck in the pan! Be sure to check out the baker’s notes below for more information.

Next, make the muffin batter.

  1. Start combining the ingredients for use in the muffin batter. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Unlike my other muffin recipes, the ingredients for these small batch cranberry orange muffins need a little more prep! Specifically, I instruct you to make orange sugar by rubbing together the sugar and fresh orange zest. Then, I also instruct you to soak the dried cranberries in freshly squeezed orange juice. Doing these things ensures a super flavorful muffin infused with orange throughout all its ingredients! The orange juice also allows the dried cranberries to reabsorb some moisture, leading to extra moist muffins.

  2. Make the muffin batter. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    After that, the muffin batter comes together in just 10 minutes. Simply cream together the butter, sugar, and egg, then add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in two parts, followed by the dried cranberries. Don’t forget to strain the cranberries from the orange juice! Using the juice might cause your muffins to be raw or sink in the middle.

  3. Rest the muffin batter. (Rest Time: 1 hour)
    Unfortunately, you’ll need to rest the muffin batter at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. So plan ahead! Check out the FAQ below for more information on why the batter needs to rest.

Finally, bake the muffins.

  1. Assemble the muffins. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    One of the secrets to super tall and domed muffins is to fill up each cavity in the muffin pan with a generous amount of batter. Using the right tools will make the job go by quicker and faster—be sure to check out the baker’s notes for links to my favorite batter scooping tools!

    Finally, take note that you’re going to use a slightly odd technique to fill the muffin pan. The recipe below instructs you to fill every other cavity with batter. You can see a visual of what I mean in this GIF. Why the odd placement? Because the muffin tops spread far and wide as they bake. If you fill the the muffin pan the conventional way, the tops will spread and stick to each other.

  2. Bake the muffins. (Bake Time: 20 minutes)
    These small batch cranberry orange muffins bake for between 20 to 22 minutes. Note that if you’ve replaced part of the all-purpose flour with an alternative flour, you may need to adjust Bake Time. Check out the ingredients section above for more specifics.
small batch cranberry orange muffins

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Questions About Baking Equipment

Can I use muffin liners for these small batch cranberry orange muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. You’ll still need to spray the outer rims of each cavity with cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan. The bottom of your muffins will also have a slightly different texture than mine—they’ll be softer.

Can I use a silicone muffin pan for these small batch cranberry orange muffins?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. A big part of the reason why these muffins get so tall has to do with the metal pan that the muffins are baked in. Metal conducts heat evenly and efficiently, encouraging the rising and the browning that gives these muffins their signature look.

Silicone, on the other hand, can insulate heat. If you bake these muffins in a silicone pan, you’ll end up with some tasty muffins, but ones that are on the shorter and lighter side. You can read more about the pros and cons of silicone pans in this Fine Cooking article, along with this Serious Eats article that discusses how different types of muffin pans affect the same muffin recipe.

Can I use a mini muffin pan for these small batch cranberry orange muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. I haven’t done it myself so I can’t personally guarantee the results, but one of my Instagram followers successfully did so with this very similar small batch blueberry muffin recipe. She reported that she baked this recipe in a mini muffin pan with success. I believe she used 1 ½ tablespoons of batter per muffin.

You may also need to decrease the amount of sugar you sprinkle on every muffin (I’d maybe do ½ teaspoon instead of 1 teaspoon, but that still might be too much). You’d also likely need to decrease the recipe’s Bake Time. If you’ve attempted this recipe in a mini muffin pan, let me know what you did to adapt the recipe in the comments below!

FAQ: Questions About The Recipe’s Techniques

Can I double the recipe to make a full batch of cranberry orange muffins?

Yes! If you want a guideline on how to do so, check out this recipe for Levain Bakery blueberry muffins. It’s basically a full-sized version of this recipe, but with blueberries instead of cranberries!

Why do I need to rest the muffin batter for an hour?

This small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe instructs you to rest the batter after making for one hour at room temperature. Technically, this step is optional. You can bake the batter immediately after making and end up with some pretty damn good muffins. But if you want super domed muffins with seriously tall tops, rest the batter for an hour! This will allow the flour to hydrate and absorb the liquids in the batter more fully, leading to taller domes. During the resting process, the gluten strands in the batter relax, leading to more tender and fluffy baked goods. You can read more about the science in this Kitchn article.

When resting your muffin batter, don’t stick the batter in the fridge. Chilled batter will cause the muffins to stick in their cavities. In fact, make sure ALL your ingredients are at room temperature before using in the recipe. Again, this is one of the secrets to super tall muffin tops! Don’t miss the baker’s notes section below for more information.

Can I fill ALL the cavities in the muffin pan with batter? Why do you only fill every other one?

It’s best if you follow the recipe instructions exactly as they are written, especially when it comes to filling the muffin pan. Why? The tops of the muffins spread so much that if you fill each single cavity, they’ll spread into one another and get stuck, creating one giant muffin top mass. The empty cavity in between each muffin prevents that from happening.

Help! My muffin tops didn’t spread as much as yours. What did I do wrong?

This small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe instructs you to sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over each muffin before baking. Did you skimp or skip the sugar? The sugar is what causes the muffin tops to spread—using an amount less than what’s listed in the recipe would lead to the same results.

Similarly, did you use a different type of other sugar other than granulated sugar? Other sugars like brown sugar, coconut sugar, demerara sugar, and sanding sugar don’t enable the muffin tops to spread as well as granulated sugar.

Help! The sugar on the muffin tops didn’t melt completely. There was still some sugar left. What did I do wrong?

Absolutely nothing! These small batch cranberry orange muffins are designed to have granulated sugar on the muffin tops, similar to how Levain Bakery serves their blueberry muffins. That unmelted sugar gives the muffins a wonderful, sugary, crunchy texture.

Help! My muffins got stuck in the pan—only the tops came off. What did I do wrong?

This small batch cranberry orange muffin recipe instructs you to wait until the muffins have cooled to room temperature before attempting to unstick them from the pan. Did you try and turn out the muffins while they were still warm? Because these muffins are so top-heavy, you’ll run the risk of accidentally pulling the tops and bottoms apart if the cake is still warm! Wait until they are cooled completely before turning them out of the pan.

Once they’ve cooled, don’t just pull them out of the pan by their tops. The best way to unstick them is to use a metal offset spatula. Run the spatula underneath the entirety of each muffin top to unstick each one completely. Then, working one muffin at a time, use the offset spatula to tilt the muffin slightly on its side with the muffin top to enable you to wiggle your fingers underneath the muffin and lift it from the bottom.

FAQ: How To Store The Muffins

Can I refrigerate the unbaked muffin batter to save it for for baking later?

Yes! You can refrigerate the unbaked cranberry orange muffin batter for up to 36 hours. Proceed with steps 1 to 3 in the recipe and cover the finished batter. However, instead of allowing the batter to rest at room temperature, simply refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them.

That being said, you need to bring the batter back to room temperature completely before baking the muffins. Using chilled batter will cause the muffins to get stuck in their cavities in the muffin pan.

Can you freeze cranberry orange muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. You can freeze any leftover muffins by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator the night before you’re planning on eating the muffin. Rewarm in the microwave or the oven before serving.

However, in general I don’t recommend freezing the muffins. Once frozen and thawed, the muffins will no longer have their crispy tops.

Best Recipe Tips

Best Ingredient Tip

  • Pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe (please don’t miss this—they’re even written bold). The secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did.

Best Equipment Tip

  • For this recipe, tools are important. You’ll need two muffin tins, a 1-tablespoon OR a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop, and an offset spatula (preferably with a short, metal blade). The cookie dough scoops are for filling each cavity with muffin batter—to get tall domes, you’ll need to fill each one with SIX tablespoons of batter. It works best if you’re precise. Anything more will cause the muffins to overflow, and anything less will result in squat muffins. You’ll then need the offset spatula to “unstick” the wide muffin tops from the pan.

Best Baking Tip

  • If you have a convection oven, now is the time to use it! When I was researching muffin recipes for #weeknightbakingbook, I discovered that muffins dome really well when first baked at a high temperature like 425°F. Doing so encourages the baking powder in the batter to react faster, causing the muffins to rise more quickly in the oven. These recipes then instruct you to lower the oven temperature to 350°F to prevent the muffins from burning and drying out. It’s a lot to keep track of. So instead, I baked the muffins at 400°F and found that it worked just as well, but found that it worked even better on the convection setting (as the convection fan was more effective in getting heat evenly and consistently between the muffin tin cavities).

More Muffin Recipes

More Small Batch Recipes

Get the Recipe: Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

This small batch recipe makes only FOUR cranberry orange muffins! Each small batch cranberry orange muffin has a signature sparkling, sugary domed muffin top. The sponge is packed with lots of orange flavor, thanks to both fresh orange zest and orange juice soaked dried cranberries in the batter.
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Ingredients

For the Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • 1 large orange
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups (5 ounces or 142 grams) dried cranberries
  • 1 ¼ cups (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon orange extract OR oil
  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

Assembly

  • canola or vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • dried cranberries, for garnish

Equipment

  • a Microplane grater
  • a slotted spoon OR a fine-mesh sieve
  • a muffin tin
  • a 1-Tablespoon OR 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • Make the orange sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and orange zest. Use a Microplane grater to zest the orange over the sugar; then, use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This will infuse the sugar with oils from the zest.
  • Soak the dried cranberries in orange juice. Place the cranberries in a small, shallow bowl. Slice the orange in half and squeeze the orange over the cranberries, soaking the cranberries in its juice. Toss the cranberries until completely moistened.
  • Prep the rest of the dry and wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and the orange extract/oil.
  • Beat the sugar, butter, and egg. Add the butter to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg.
  • Mix in the dry and wet ingredients, then the cranberries. With the mixer still on low, add the the dry ingredients in three equal parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. With the mixer on low, use a slotted spoon (or, use a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the cranberries from the orange juice) to scoop the cranberries into the batter and mix until evenly incorporated, another 30 seconds.
  • Rest the batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Prep the oven and muffin pan. While the batter rests, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F using the convect setting (if possible). Prepare a muffin tin by spraying the inside and border of every other cavity in the muffin tin generously with cooking spray. But note that you’ll only need to prep 4 cavities total—there’s no need to spray the other ones! If you’re using a standard muffin tin, position the pan so that its short side faces you and prep the center cavity of the top row, the outer two cavities of the second row, and the center cavity of the third row. Click this link for a visual of this step.
  • Fill the muffin pan. Use a 1-Tablespoon or 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each sprayed cavity with 6 Tablespoons of the batter. Sprinkle the top of each cavity, aiming for the batter and avoiding the pan, with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and a couple of dried cranberries each. Pour warm water into the outer cavities of the muffin tin’s final row, filling them at least ⅔-rds of the way up.
  • Bake the muffins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with a few crumbs attached.
  • Cool the muffins. Cool the muffins in their muffin tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use an offset spatula to run underneath the edges of the muffin tops to prevent them from sticking in the pan. Be careful to just run the offset spatula under the edges—you don't want to accidentally cut into the muffin bottom and decapitate the muffin from its top! After unsticking the muffin tops, keep cooling the muffins in the tins completely to room temperature. DO NOT TRY AND TURN THE MUFFINS OUT WHILE THEY ARE STILL WARM. Because these muffins are so top-heavy, you’ll run the risk of accidentally pulling the tops and bottoms apart if the cake is still warm! Wait until they are cooled completely before turning them out of the pan. Run the offset spatula underneath each muffin top once more and gently tilt the muffin upwards to turn it out of the pan, lifting each one from its base.
  • Serve and store. Serve warm, or at room temperature. The muffins are best on the day that they’re made, but can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

  • Pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe (please don’t miss this—they’re even written bold). The secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did.
  • For this recipe, tools are important. You’ll need two muffin tins, a 1-tablespoon OR a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop, and an offset spatula (preferably with a short, metal blade). The cookie dough scoops are for filling each cavity with muffin batter—to get tall domes, you’ll need to fill each one with SIX tablespoons of batter. It works best if you’re precise. Anything more will cause the muffins to overflow, and anything less will result in squat muffins. You’ll then need the offset spatula to “unstick” the wide muffin tops from the pan.
  • If you have a convection oven, now is the time to use it! When I was researching muffin recipes for #weeknightbakingbook, I discovered that muffins dome really well when first baked at a high temperature like 425°F. Doing so encourages the baking powder in the batter to react faster, causing the muffins to rise more quickly in the oven. These recipes then instruct you to lower the oven temperature to 350°F to prevent the muffins from burning and drying out. It’s a lot to keep track of. So instead, I baked the muffins at 400°F and found that it worked just as well, but found that it worked even better on the convection setting (as the convection fan was more effective in getting heat evenly and consistently between the muffin tin cavities).
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

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