The BEST Vanilla Muffins

I said it…these are the BEST vanilla muffins.

Perfectly fluffy and bouncy, a gorgeous, crispy muffin top and noticeable vanilla flavor. The perfect base muffin recipe to adapt into other flavors. 

Long story short, I tested A LOT of recipes and I always struggled with getting that perfect muffin texture. Then one of my readers asked me for a vanilla butter muffin… which would have never crossed my mind to make. 

I also normally used oil in my muffins because I THOUGHT it would be more moist that way. So I got to work on this vanilla muffin made with butter and I think I got lucky or something because it only took two tries this time and OMG I think I’ve eaten more muffins in the last couple of weeks than I have in my whole life. 

So I really try not to call my recipes “the BEST” because there’s like a million out there that claim to be the best and aren’t so the term really lost its value lol. BUT I am actually obsessed with these easy vanilla muffins. Enough so that I made A LOT (I lost count) of variations of these and eventually even turned it into a muffin cake.

I turned this recipe into carrot cake muffins, blueberry muffins, strawberry crumble muffins, pumpkin muffins, banana bread muffin and more.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

This recipe couldn’t be easier. It’s a simple whisk the wet and add the dry ingredients recipe the key step is let them rest for 30-60 minutes before baking. This activates the leaveners before it even hits the oven, allowing for that gorgeous dome to form on top!

And as always with dry ingredients, I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, because they are almost always over measured. 

1. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar: let the butter cool a little before combining with the sugar.
2. Whisk in the eggs: this is important; whisk in one egg at a time for about 30 seconds, until it’s completely combined, pale and fluffy. Then add another egg, etc. 
3. Add the dairy: whisk in the greek yogurt and vanilla until it’s smooth, then add the room temperature cream and whisk until it’s smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients: whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients until they’re completely combined.
5. Rest the batter: another important step – Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This allows the gluten to relax and the leaveners to get a head start. (If you’re in a rush, 30 minutes is fine but definitely don’t go past 90 minutes or you’ll get a wonky bake).
6. Fill the muffin tins: all the way to the top rim and top with ½-1 tsp of granulated sugar to make a crunchy muffin top.
7. Bake: for five minutes at 425F and then reduce oven temperature to 375F and bake for another 10 minutes. 

I also recommend an oven thermometer just because oven’s can vary a lot and the temperature does affect the way these muffins puff up enormously!

Storing Muffins The Right Way

I LOVE the crispy muffin top but if you store these in an airtight container, you lose that crispiness on top. So I leave them out overnight and then after the first night, I store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days so they don’t dry out.

You can also refrigerate them for up to a week and bring them back to room temperature or microwave before serving but again, you’ll lose that crisp muffin top. 

Bakes stay more fresh when they’re frozen so if I’m not eating within a couple days I prefer to freeze them.

Place muffins in an airtight container and freeze for up to a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.

If you make love these muffins I would really appreciate if you left me a 5-star rating or a review below.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Recipes

Muffins

The BEST Vanilla Muffins

4.74 from 63 votes

prep 10 minutes mins

cook 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

total 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Serves 12 large muffins

Perfectly fluffy and bouncy vanilla muffins with a gorgeous, crispy muffin top and noticeable vanilla flavor. The perfect base muffin recipe to adapt into other flavors.

Author: Bernice Baran

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Servings 12 large muffins

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Equipment

• ▢
  Muffin Pan 
• ▢
  Whisk
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Metric(US) Imperial

Ingredients

• ▢ 300 grams all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ▢ 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 113 grams salted butter, melted
• ▢ 250 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 170 grams Greek Yogurt
• ▢ 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 180 mL heavy cream, room temperature
• ▢ 2-3 Tbsp granulated sugar, for topping *optional

Method

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
   300 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
2. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and sugar until they’re well combined.
   113 grams salted butter melted, 250 grams granulated sugar
3. Add in one egg and whisk until it’s well combined and has lightened in color, about 30 seconds. Repeat with the next two eggs, one at a time.
   3 large eggs room temperature
4. Add in the Greek Yogurt and the vanilla extract and whisk until it’s completely smooth.
   170 grams Greek Yogurt, 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
5. Add in the heavy whipping cream and whisk until it’s completely smooth.
   180 mL heavy cream room temperature
6. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the last streak of flour is incorporated.
7. Cover with a lid, plastic wrap or a tea towel and set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 425F (218C) and line 12 muffins tins.
9. Use a large cookie scooper to fill the muffins tins to the top, the batter should be enough for 12 large muffins.
10. Sprinkle each muffin with 1-2 tsp of granulated sugar for a crispy muffin top and bake for 5 minutes.
    2-3 Tbsp granulated sugar for topping *optional
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F (190C) and bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when you press on the center gently.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10-20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 360mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28g

Course: Muffins

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fluffy muffins, homemade muffins, muffin base recipe, vanilla muffins