Why does nobody talk about overmixing muffin batter on purpose?

I spent like 2 years making hockey pucks for muffins because I thought you had to mix until smooth. Then my aunt watched me make a batch last Thanksgiving and laughed her head off. She pointed out the batter should still look lumpy and kinda messy after 10-12 stirs. I tried her method the next day and suddenly my muffins had actual domes and weren't dense. Has anyone else had someone call them out on a basic baking trick that everyone else seemed to know?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty1442d ago

Wait, so you're telling me I spent ten years making emergency hockey pucks for no reason? I don't even play hockey. My muffins could've been used as doorstops they were so dense. I finally learned the lumpy trick from a YouTube video where the lady said "stop stirring" like she was scolding a dog. Now I just give my muffin batter a few half-hearted stirs and call it good. My family still asks why my muffins look like perfect domes now and I just tell them I finally stopped overworking myself in the kitchen.

lisa_brown2d ago

My 12 year old son is the one who called me out on this. He watched me beat muffin batter for like 3 full minutes at Christmas and said "Mom you're making them tough." He was right. I know some people swear by the lumpy method but I actually prefer a slightly more mixed batter for certain recipes. If I am using frozen fruit or berries, I find that a few extra stirs helps distribute them better so you don't end up with a couple muffins totally empty and others overloaded. The lumps are fine for plain blueberry muffins but for chunkier add ins I go against the common advice and mix a bit more.