How to Make Box Muffins Better
Love a good muffin but not totally into baking from scratch? This post is for you. How to Make Box Muffins Better is loaded with all my best tips and tricks for turning out gorgeous muffins with a perfectly tender crumb, using a box mix.
MUFFINSSSSSS. From a ~gasp~ box mix.
Just kidding. I am totally not above using a box mix. I love them for cakes, I love them for cookies, and honestly, those little 98 cent packages of muffin mix you can grab at the store? They are totally delicious. But! If you are serving them up at a breakfast or brunch, and you want your box mix muffins to look the part, I have loads of tips for impressing guests whith a cheap box mix.
Can I tell you a secret? Your favorite coffee shop muffins probably come from a mix.
How to Make Box Muffins Better - Baking Tips
Mixing up your box mix is the first place you are going to start, and to get those high-domed bakery-style muffins, there are a few tricks you need to have handy right away. The very first thing I need you to do though, is to PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425°F.
I know the box says 375° or 400° in most cases. But the initial burst of heat is going to help our box mix muffins rise. The high heat creates steam that gives your box mix muffins rapid rise. So after you run through the rest of these tips, know that AT LEAST those first 4-5 minutes will be at 425°F. If your box mix instructions STATE 425°F, it's all good.
If your instructions call for a lower baking temperature, reduce the heat after the first 4-5 minutes WITHOUT opening the oven.
Can I Use Milk in Place of Water?
You technically can, but it's not recommended. MUFFINS AND CUPCAKES ARE NOT THE SAME! If your box mix calls for water, it's probably because adding milk will make them TOO MOIST. Have you ever had your muffins just totally stick to the paper liner? So they look great and taste great, but when you go to unwrap them and eat them, you are like WTF half my muffin is stuck to the paper.
We want to avoid that and the weird eating gymnastics involved with getting said muffin off the paper.
A tender crumb is good. Too much moisture is not.
All of this said though, if your muffin mix calls for milk, USE MILK! Martha White Just Add Milk is one of my favorites.
Don't Overmix!
Have you ever made box muffins and they taste fine but they have just ... the WRONG texture? Rubbery or tough muffins are because you got a little crazy with your mixer. My muffin preference is to whisk them up by hand. I like this OXO Balloon Whisk.
Too much egg can also throw you off here. We aren't changing the actual science of what's going on with your muffin mix. We are just helping it along a little.
Box Muffin Add-Ins
I have LOADS of suggestions on what to add in to your muffins, and could basically go on here for days. But here are a few of my favorites:
- Add fresh or frozen berries! Your berry muffin mix will definitely have some berries included, but the more the berrier. Sorry. I am a nerd.
- add zest! Zest a lemon, an orange, or a lime and stir the zest into the batter for a burst of citrus
- fill with cream cheese! To make a quick cream cheese filling just beat together 8 ounces of cream cheese + ¼ cup granulated sugar
- fill with jam or fruit curd! No special tips here. Just keep in mind that jam and jelly are not the same.
Fill the Muffin Cups ALMOST to the Top.
This is important. Most box directions will have you stop at the halfway mark. But if you want big, tall, high-domed muffins, halfway won't cut it. ¾ of the way full will give you a nice tall dome. ALMOST to the top will give you a muffin top.
PRO TIP: If you think you'll have muffin tops (the good kind), you should spray the whole top of the muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Toppings for Bakery-Style Box Muffins
These are the details that will make your bakery-style muffins shine! You always notice what's on top first.
Make Streusel Topping
This is actually my very favorite way to jazz up muffins whether I made them from scratch or not. Streusel topping is so easy and it adds buttery sweetness, and makes your muffins look very profesh. To make streusel topping you need:
- 3 tablespoons soft butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
Mix it up to a crumby consistency (I totally use my fingers for this) and sprinkle over the top of your muffins. These Blueberry Lemon Muffins are NOT from a mix; it's a from-scratch recipe. But it calls for the same streusel and they are DELICIOUS.
Other Favorite Toppings
- I LOVE King Arthur Flour's Sparkling Sugar. It's like sprinkles for your muffins. You can also use raw sugar or turbinado sugar.
- Melted butter + cinnamon sugar - I use this topping on my Pumpkin Donut Mini Muffins. I love them. Little bites of buttery goodness.
What are your favorite muffin-making tips?
How to Make Box Muffins Better
Love muffins but no time for scratch baking! You can make bakery style muffins with a box mix! How to Make Box Muffins Better is a fool proof recipe with lots of tips and tricks to turn out better box muffins every time!
Ingredients
- 1 package muffin mix of your choice
- additional ingredients according to package instructions (milk, water, oil, egg, etc)
- add-ins such as fresh or frozen berries or lemon zest
- toppings such as streusel or sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Spray the whole pan (the flat top as well!) with nonstick cooking spray. this prevents your muffin tops from sticking.
- Use milk or water according to package instructions. Don't substitute.
- Mix the ingredients together by hand, and be careful not to over mix!
- Mix in additional berries or zest.
- Fill the muffin cups ¾ of the way up. This might mean you have fewer muffins than your package instructions call for.
- Top with streusel or turbinado sugar, etc.
- Bake. If your package instructions called for a baking temperature BELOW 425°F, reduce the heat after the first 4-5 minutes of baking time to the recommended temperature. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Bake for the time your package states.
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Directions for jumbo silicone pan muffins
How can I use a Martha White Muffin Mix to make a quick bread?
Would the baking on high temp also be ok with mini muffins??
I made this with a streusel topping over blueberry cream cheese muffins. Awesome.
My printer won't print this recipe so every time I make muffins I have to look up this page. I finally bookmarked it! It's my go to! One thing I tried was using buttermilk instead of milk and they taste AMAZING! Thanks for the great tips?
When making box cranberry-orange muffins, can orange juice be substituted for the water
Love this tip!
What is a good add in for moister muffins?
@Linda, I’ve added an entire pkg of cream cheese to one muffin mix pouch. It makes them amazingly moist.
@Teresa Rowell, Sounds Yummy! Do you make it per package directions then add cream cheese or do something else different?
Can I do this in a cake form,with the strudel topping? If so how would you recommend I do
The topping is really very easy to add to anything! It's a favorite trick to make things feel like they came from a bakery. Changing the ingredients you add to the actual box mix cake batter is a whole other thing though. I'd for sure need to text that!
If I add the cream cheese filling, how long and at what temp would I cook the muffins? I’m using the Kristen’s cranberry orange mix.
The blueberry muffin mix is great with added berries, lots of them.
The apple cinnamon mix, add a whole apple to 2 pkgs mix. Added cinnamon or pumpkin pie mix is great!
The berry mix add a handful frozen or fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries all together.
I never add sugar to my muffins.
The wet/dry ratio is not affected by added fruit. But do bake a bit longer. Use toothpick test.
Not crazy about the strawberry mix even w chopped strawberries!
I've been playing with the mixes for months. Cheap, easy and great! My next fling will be lemon/poppyseed w blueberries and lemon juice and zest!
The cornbread mixes, especially the jalapeño one...add ham, onion, sweet pepper, scrambled eggs. Dice everything small so the flavors spread throughout the muffins!
I want to add more fiber to the muffins (I've got a 4 year old in need of more in his diet), can I substitute some of the boxed mix for bran or whole wheat flour? If so how much? He doesn't like much in the food department, so I'm looking for ways to get him to eat healthier but in the foods he does like.
@Michele,
Marth White has bran mixes too!
@Michele,
The Krusteaz chocolate chip protein muffin mix is great. 13 grams protein. My 16 year old twin boys love them.
@Michele, I juiced a lot when grands were young, saved the pulp in the freezer and when I wanted bake them cakes, etc, I would mix in the pulp adding a lil more liquid if it looked like it was needed, not often. They were delish, the kids loved them and the fiber was good for them. I only told them 20 years later and they cracked up at sneaky grandmother.
Can I add cocoa to your chocolate chip muffin mix? If so how much is okay?
I don't think I'd add cocoa - that would really change the dry to wet ratio, and this is more about jazzing your boxed muffins up. Does the recipe call for eggs? You might be avle to melt a couple of ounces of chocolate, let it cool, and then SLOWLY whisk in the eggs (lightly beat them first). It's important to let the chocolate cool first or you will have a mess of scrambled egg chocolate which is gross. Otherwise this should work 🙂
@Sylvia Scott,
I use a tbsp+ cocoa powder, 1.5 tbsp frozen chocolate syrup(homemade) and lots of Ghirardelli semisweet chips in 2 pkgs MW chocolate chocolate chip mix. Bake about 1-2 minutes extra to make sure is done completely. Yield 1 dozen rich and glorious muffins!
@Susan, if you add Chocolate, try adding a table spoon of brewed coffee...it brings out a deeper flavour of the chocolate.
can i add bananas to the banana muffin mix? Do I change the other ingredients?
@Shirley,
@Shirley, I’m curious about this as well
@Lorelei,
Wasn't crazy about the added banana.
@Susan, I love adding bananas but, I always mess up! I need to figure out why
@B., bake your bananas peels n all for about 30minutes cool and smash,, they will be completely black but ohhhhh so good in the bananna muffins.
This is supposed to be for muffins but the recipe is for a salad.
Thanks, Beverly - fixed! That was a weird glitch.
@Heather Tullos, can I add cocoa powder to the package of Martha Stewart Banana Nut Muffin Mix? If so, would I also need to add sugar to sweeten the bitterness of the cocoa powder? My grandchildren like chocolate muffins and the only thing I have right now is the banana nut mix. Thanks!
Hey Trish - I am not sure! I've not tested this! I don't think you'd need to add any sweetener since bananas are naturally sweet and muffin mix is also sweet already. I think I might try 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa with the first attemps and see how that goes!