12 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Muffin Mix
Have you ever been disappointed by a batch of muffins made from a mix? As convenient as store-bought muffin mixes are, they can sometimes be a bit lacking in the flavor department. Sure, you can find favorites like blueberry, strawberry, bran, and apple, but often those flavors come off as weak or even fake. Fortunately, you don't have to take those bland muffins as they are — you can upgrade them with some easy tricks.
According to muffin experts everywhere (and this muffin-making enthusiast), there are plenty of ways to spice up your muffin mix — and not just with spices. You can play around with different tastes, textures, and toppings, experimenting to find those that work best for you and your family.
Armed with just a few things you probably already have in your cabinet, you can take those "meh" muffins to the next level. All you need to get started is a bag or box of muffin mix and a dream (and, of course, a few ingredients to add in).
1. Toss in some fresh or frozen fruit
Not satisfied with the dry, dehydrated fruit that comes in a muffin mix? Then add your own! You can remove the fruit that came in the mix, as is the case with blueberry muffins, or leave it in — up to you. The best rule of thumb is to add about 1 tablespoon of fruit per muffin for plain or bran muffins, or a bit less for muffin mixes that already have fruit in them.
Turn your blueberry muffins into mixed berry muffins by adding blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries, or add some zing to a lemon muffin by mixing in small or chopped blueberries. You can also add in chunks of peach, plum, pear, or apple — nearly any fruit works.
Both fresh and frozen fruits are great for this; frozen might be even better in some cases, since there will be less juice to deal with. And speaking of juice... If you are adding a juicier fruit like peaches, plums, or pears, be sure to drain them first. Otherwise, the added water will lead to some soggy muffins.
2. Drop in some dried fruit
If you want to add fruit to your muffin mix but avoid the extra hassle of planning for the added moisture content in the batter, then turn your attention to dried fruit. Dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, apples, or bananas are an easy add-in for your muffin mix, and won't change the baking time at all. They are also a good idea for those who like a bit more texture in their muffins, as these fruits will retain their bite better than their fresh or frozen counterparts.
Raisins, in particular, are a well-loved addition to many types of muffins, such as bran, apple cinnamon, or anything in the pumpkin family of flavors. You may want to add a bit less dried fruit to the mix than you would fresh or frozen, however, because it has a stronger flavor and might have a sugary coating that can make your muffins too sweet.
3. Go nuts with some added nuts
Nuts are another ingredient that baked good enthusiasts can't get enough of. Some store-bought muffin mixes include chopped nuts, but sometimes they're so small you barely notice them.
When it comes to choosing a nut, you have plenty of options. Pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts — whatever you have on hand will work. Before you toss the nuts in, however, we recommend chopping them into small pieces so they mix well with the batter and you don't get too big of a chunk in one bite.
Banana, apple, and bran muffins are particularly well-suited to the addition of nuts, but any type of muffin can get a nice upgrade from them. Around ¼ to ½ a cup of nuts should do it. If you're feeling particularly fancy, toss in some candied nuts, which will not only bring an added crunch but also a delightful added sweetness.
4. Add chocolate for a new spin on old favorites
If you are a chocoholic, you might already pick up the chocolate or chocolate chip muffin mix at the store when you're jonesing for a fix. But what if I told you that you can make any muffin a chocolate muffin with ingredients you most likely already have at home?
All you have to do is add in around ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa to any muffin mix (well, almost any — we wouldn't recommend adding it to a lemon blueberry muffin mix, for instance). This can make a plain muffin so much more delicious, or turn a classic, like banana nut, into something even more amazing: chocolate banana nut. Doesn't everything sound better with the word "chocolate" in front of it?
If that's a bit too much, consider just tossing around ¼ to ½ cup of semisweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips into your favorite muffin mix. Or, if that's not enough, add both cocoa and chocolate chips!
If the batter looks a bit dry with the added cocoa, add in some water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the correct consistency. The batter should be a bit thicker than usual, so don't add too much water or the muffins may not bake properly.
5. Kick things up a notch with some coconut
When it comes to muffins, coconut is not usually the first ingredient that comes to mind. But this is a shame. Coconut can add both flavor and texture to your muffins, which will make them seem like a gourmet treat.
Coconut is very versatile, and there are several different ways you can incorporate it into your muffins. The first is to add the shredded form to mixes like lemon or blueberry.
The second way to bring the coconut flavor is to add around ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. This works very well with plain muffin mix, to which you can also add other mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts.
You can also switch out the water in the mix with coconut milk. Be aware, though, that this may change the texture of the muffins, making them denser instead of fluffier.
Lastly, you can switch out the vegetable oil the mix calls for with coconut oil. This adds a light, coconutty flavor that goes well with many varieties of muffins.
6. Pour in a splash of vanilla extract
If you have been baking for any time at all, you will no doubt be aware that almost every recipe for cookies, bread, and cake calls for vanilla extract. Even recipes for things that don't seem like they taste like vanilla at all use this ingredient, and that is because it is much more than just a hint of vanilla flavor.
Yes, vanilla extract does add a bit of vanilla taste to your baked goods, but its main job is to bring out the flavor of the other ingredients, making the entire thing more delicious. A fraction of a teaspoon of vanilla extract may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but if you have ever left it out of a recipe, you will notice that the flavors just won't "sing." Adding around ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to any kind of muffin mix will give them a fuller, richer taste that will have you thinking that you're eating muffins from a bakery instead of something from a mix.
7. Stuff your muffins with Nutella
In Italy, the birthplace of Nutella, store-bought muffins are all the rage. They often keep them near the entrance of the store or by the cash register because the owners know that no one can resist that chocolate hazelnut spread.
But no matter where you live, you can have that same deliciousness at home, and without the hassle of making muffins from scratch. Just mix up your boxed muffin mix as usual (chocolate chip, plain, or banana muffins work well for this), then fill your muffin cups halfway with the batter. Add a spoonful of Nutella (a heaping one, if Nutella is your jam), then fill the cups the rest of the way with batter. Bake as usual, and voila! You've got muffins stuffed with Nutella that are just as delicious as store-bought.
If you want a more subtle addition of Nutella, you can fill the muffin cups as you normally would, then add a dollop of Nutella on top. Swirl it with a toothpick, but don't mix it into the batter completely. This will give it a lovely marble cake effect that tastes as great as it looks.
8. Pump up your muffins with pureed pumpkin
Autumn always brings lovely treats like pumpkin bread, carrot cake, and spice cake, but you can have these kinds of things all year round, even in the form of muffins. Bring the taste of fall to your muffin mixes with pumpkin puree, which, in addition to adding that nice pumpkin flavor, also gives your baked good a richer texture. You can buy pumpkin puree at the store, or you can make your own by cooking fresh pumpkin on the stove with a bit of water until it is soft enough to turn into a creamy paste.
Once you have your pumpkin puree, simply mix it together with the muffin mix, leaving out the milk or water listed in the instructions on the package. If you're not a fan of pumpkin, you can also add mashed banana, pureed sweet potatoes, or even pureed carrots to your muffin mix. Any muffin mix would work for this, but apple cinnamon, bran, plain, and banana nut are our top choices.
9. Sprinkle in some cinnamon sugar
Some muffin mixes contain a bit of cinnamon already, but if you can't get enough of this sensational spice, you can always add some of your own. Simply add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to banana nut or pumpkin muffin mixes to spice things up. To top it off (literally), sprinkle a mix of cinnamon and sugar on the tops of the muffins before putting them in the oven.
If you're making apple cinnamon or banana nut muffins, take it one step further by making a crumble topping. In a bowl, stir together ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Then, stir in 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Pile up the crumbly mixture on the top of your muffins and put them in the oven to bake for the amount of time listed on the package. You can thank us later.
10. Jam-pack your muffins with jam
One common complaint about muffins made from a store-bought mix is that they tend to be a bit on the dry and/or flavorless side. But there's a nice, big, juicy solution to this problem: a fruity filling.
To add some refreshing moisture to your muffins, fill the center with a dollop of either jam or fruit curd, which is a spread made with citrus fruits like lemon, orange, lime, or tangerine, along with egg yolks, sugar and zest. Fruit curd has a very intense flavor, making it less than ideal for a full pie, but perfect for filling muffins.
The possibilities here are endless: lemon muffins with strawberry jam, blueberry muffins with blueberry jam, bran muffins with orange curd — the only limits are your imagination and your jam supply. Using jam will give your muffins a lighter flavor, but there is something else you need to keep in mind: Jam and jelly are two completely different things. Jelly contains more liquid and is not ideal for filling muffins, because it will seep into the rest of the muffin and add moisture where you don't need it. Jam, on the other hand, is more compact and gelatinous, so it stays in the center of the muffin while it cooks.
11. Give your muffins some zest
Many a delicious treat has been created using the zest of a citrus fruit. Zest can be defined as the outer part of the fruit, a.k.a. the peel. While the peeling of fruits like apples or peaches is basically made to be either thrown away or eaten raw with the fruit, citrus peels have a superpower when it comes to cooking. Adding pieces of lemon, orange, tangerine, or other citrus fruit zest to desserts adds a whole new, intense flavor that you can't get any other way.
To make citrus zest, take a washed lemon or orange and simply grate some of the peel with an ordinary cheese grater or a microplane. Take care to only shave off the colored part of the peel, as the white part will taste bitter. Once you have some grated zest, sprinkle it into some plain muffin batter for a light, citrus-flavored treat, or add them to an already-fruity muffin to add a bit more zing.
12. Make your muffins savory
Muffins aren't just for breakfast or snacks anymore. You can eat them anytime, even for dinner, by taking a plain muffin mix and making it savory. Start by adding shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella are good choices), and bring in other mealtime favorites like chopped bell peppers, onions, or leeks. You can also add small chunks of cooked bacon or sausage, mixing and matching your favorite ingredients.
As always, keep in mind the moisture content of what you are adding to the muffins. Fresh tomatoes, for example, won't work well because they are too watery and will leave the muffins soggy in the center. Dried tomatoes, on the other hand, are a better choice. As long as you don't add in too much water, you can get really creative here, using things like feta, blue cheese, spinach, ham, and more.
Using these types of ingredients will give you a simple, portable entree that works great for lunch or dinner. If you really want the best of both worlds, you can even follow that up with a sweet muffin dessert for a whole muffin meal!