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Coz everything I try to make is just a close relative to a fairy cake and they are, frankly, disappointing.

You have to use LOTS of oil/butter and make them in oversized muffin cups and tbh they will never be like the Starbucks ones because they have tons of additives to make them the way they are. home made ones are nicer though imo.

If you find out let me know! None of the muffin recipes I have used are anything like the shop-bought ones (though they are nice to eat). Tbh I am starting to wonder if the ones in shops are actually muffins or are really sponge cakes in disguise!

Buttermilk.

And big muffin cases.- like this

I have to say I am something of a muffin queen now after much experimentation - I send dh off to work every day with a muffin precisely because those starbucks ones are so fake.

Basic recipe
Carton buttermilk
2 eggs
5 tbsps veg oil

300g SR flour
1tsp bicarb
100g golden granulated sugar
50g porridge oats

Mix wet with wet, dry with dry, then add together and stir.

For flavourings, I'm alternating between 2,mashed bananas and a packet of blueberries, or 2 grated apples, tsp cinnamon and a couple of handfuls of blackberries (though I picked the very last of the blackberries last week so may have to switch to apple, cinnamon and pecan)

Prufrock - that recipe looks fab, I've just written it down

How many do you get from those quantities and how long / what temp do you cook them for?

prufrock - what size carton of buttermilk?

Pedantic, us?

Buttermilk -It's the St Ivel one, about 284ml I think.

From that I get 5 big muffins for dh to take to work, and then about 12 small ones (done in fairy cake cases) for me and the kids. Cook at 180, small ones for about 10 minutes, big ones about 15

Oh and pennies, your mistake may be that you are mixing too much - Whisk the wet ingredients together well, but then just 10 turns of a spoon or so when you out wet and dry, and another 10 for when you add the flavourings. The mixture needs to be quite lumpy

Thanks Prufrock - will bag myself a bottle of buttermilk.

Thank you very much - that's my next baking batch sorted.

Add 6 tablespoons of sparkling water to your recipe it really helps it rise.

prufrock ~ Thanks you for that, so I can't use my processor to mix?

lovely - i use the yogurt muffin recipe from the recipe section here which is fab,but big mufins always good.
is buttermilk easy to come by? i have never purchased it.

God no jelly- processor turns muffin mix to fairy cakes.

I use a fork and spoon - and actually find that best results come when you get kids to do mixing. (I do realise I am sounded more and more like a caricature of Nigella by the minute and am inwardly cringing at my own domestic goddessishness)

Buttermilk - Tesco's and Waitrose both stock the St Ivel one - next to cream.

cheers. will stick it on the shopping list

Don't make them! You'll be the size of a small planet. Thos starbucks monstrosities are about 500 to 600 cals EACH!!! That's the same as a meal of meat, veg and potatoes!

prufrock ~ instead of processor I get the kids to do it? This just gets better and better. Next to the cream you say?

I've got the big cases (paper) so now I need a tin to put them in, can't I use a normal baking tray?

NOt really - the cases will collapse. I use my silicon mould that I linked to earlier without any cases (greener innit!)

Sainsburys do their own buttermilk. In a pale blue cream type cartoon. I use buttermilk for all my cake/muffin recipes and get loads of compliments on them. But really reduce the wet ingredients just a bit and add the tablespoons of sparkling water it works wonders!

cream as it the food not the colour obviously.

Another idea I was given although haven't tried it yet, was to substitute the sugar for apple or pear puree (dh is recently diagnosed diabetic so trying to find some healthier treats for him). Apparently that makes them lovely and moist too.

If you don't have it, I can recommend the book Muffins: Fast and Fantastic by Susan Reimer. Every combination you might be needing and all delish. Is on Amazon. And do not overbeat the mixture - makes a huge difference.

Prufrock - just made some banana and blueberry muffins using your recipe (except I had no porridge so used weatabix instead!!)
They get a big thumbs up from us!

COV, my diabetic doctor suggested using xylitol instead of sugar in recipes, it doesn't raise blood sugars like sugar does. I got some from the free from aisle in Tesco, called Perfect Sweet. If you made muffins with wholewheat flour and that, they'd be fairly low GI. It's not cheap but also doesn't taste all artificial like sweeteners do.

prufrock do you leave the porridge oats whole, or blitz them to powder first?
Thanks

Dunno but I have a great big Starbucks muffin sat in front of me right now - a treat from dh because I've been working so hard

Whole definately - provides texture

Also if you don't have or can't find buttermilk, you can use milk which has gorn orf .

Thanks Prufrock... am goign to make some this weekend!

Prufrock - just to say thanks for the great recipe. Worked really well.

(used whole fat natural yogurt instead of buttermilk and seemed fine with that).

How do I make muffins with huge domed crusts and soft centres like the ones in Starbucks

No idea how this v old thread got resurrected but am glad. I posted the exact same question on here a few months back but most replies suggested was not possible to make them good at home.

I am inspired and will try!

What will happen if I don't use bicarb?

dilute 1 tsp bicarbonate soda in 1/2 cup milk soured with 1 tsp lemon juice.

sounds awful I know, but similar to buttermilk and just makes anything go wooooosh!

dh is baker, you need a special tin to make the "muffin tops", am trying to find now, it is basically like normal muffin tin, with a lip round the edge of each hole

have found one similar
[[http://www.silvernutmeg.com/FullProd.php?pid=1212&PNAME=Chicago_Metallic_Commercial6Cup Crown_MuffinPan here]
you fill the paper case up to the top of the hole, then when it rises, it fills the bit round the rim of the hole and makes the classic "muffin top" shape.
DH was manager of bakery making muffins for london coffee shop, they don't use buttermilk, will dig out recipe. They used those tall paper cases so the muffins were tall not spilling over the top. he uses recipe at home, no special ingredients etc. will dig out recipe

sorry here
oops messed up link

ShortArseBread, I would love to see that recipe!!!

It's funny how this thread keeps srpinging back into active convos!

SAB - I for one would also love that recipe! Please post it if you can.

I've been googling how to make muffins like you get in Starbucks and saw this thread.

Just wondered if, 2.5 years later, we can make these at home yet? Anyone have a recipe?