Prepare Your Workspace: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup thoroughly with butter or non-stick spray. This preparation ensures your muffins won’t stick and makes for easier cleanup.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps and the ingredients are evenly distributed. Whisking dry ingredients together helps to aerate them and ensures the leavening agent is spread throughout, leading to an even rise.
Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the room temperature egg, whole milk, melted and slightly cooled butter (or oil), and pure vanilla extract until well combined. Using room temperature ingredients is crucial as they emulsify better, leading to a smoother batter and a more consistent texture in your finished muffins.
Combine Wet and Dry (The Muffin Method): Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. The key here is to avoid overmixing. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly normal and even desirable! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, chewy muffins instead of light and tender ones. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour.
Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Filling them too much can cause them to overflow during baking, while not filling them enough can result in smaller muffins with less of that desirable domed top.
Bake: Place the muffin tin into the preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The initial high temperature helps to create that beautiful domed top and crisp exterior before the inside cooks through.
Cool: Once baked, remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. This allows them to set slightly and makes them easier to remove.
Transfer to Wire Rack: After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the muffins from the tin to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Cooling on a wire rack prevents the bottoms from becoming soggy due to trapped steam.
Serve and Enjoy: Serve your homemade muffins warm or at room temperature. They are delicious on their own, with a pat of butter, a dollop of jam, or alongside your favorite hot beverage.
