Did you know that the word “muffin” has a German origin? It meant a small cake or soft bread. Muffins come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors ranging from classic and simple to very fancy and creative.
These German muffins are more along the lines of a classic and simple muffin. The recipe has a few special secret ingredients that provide lots of flavor and moisture, without being overly sweet and complicated.
Did you ever think you would be adding rum to your muffin batter? Well, get prepared!
If you are looking for a muffin recipe that you can enjoy as a dessert, snack, or meal, this is the best one around.
What’s A German Muffin?
German muffins are really just regular muffins, but less sweet than a traditional American muffin and slightly denser.
I like to say that they resemble almost a tea biscuit in texture and flavor.
They can be enjoyed as a sweet dessert or afternoon snack or paired with a savory dish.
What Is the Secret to Making Moist Muffins?
This is a very common question from home bakers. How do I make my muffins more moist?
There are a few secrets to this, but they are easy! Number one is to use room-temperature butter and milk to ensure everything mixes easily. Number two is to not over-mix your ingredients. And number three is to not overbake your muffins. Bake until just browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
Recipe Tips:
- Make sure your butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature prior to starting. I cannot stress this enough; it makes the mixing process so much easier.
- This recipe can be customized to suit your preferences. You can add any type of dried fruit in place of the raisins, or toasted nuts or seeds.
- My favorite way to eat these muffins – warmed them in the microwave with a touch of butter!
How Do You Store Freshly Baked Muffins?
These muffins are perfectly fine stored in a sealed container on the counter at room temperature.
They will keep fresh like this for up to 4 days. Alternatively, they can be stored in the refrigerator.
If you like this German muffin recipe, try these others:
- Blueberry Muffins With Crumble Topping
- Bran Muffins With Applesauce
- Coffee Cake Muffins
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
The Best German Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk, room temperature
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cups ground almonds
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ cups raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, and baking powder until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or whisk combines the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs, rum, vanilla, and milk until combined (about 1-minute).
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold the almonds, orange zest, and raisins into the batter using a rubber spatula.
- Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each ¾ of the way full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Nutrition
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can You Make German Muffins with Water Instead of Milk?
If you are in a pinch, these muffins can be made with water, however, I would not recommend it.
The milk in the recipe adds great flavor and richness to the batter that water would not.
What Is the Best Flour to Use for German Muffins?
I like to use a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour in this recipe. I find the hint of whole wheat flour adds a bit more flavor and heartiness to the muffins.
Whatever flour you have on hand will work fine, I would just shy away from using almond or coconut flour as that will alter the recipe more severely.
How Do You Get German Muffins to rising High?
This is also another common question. Baking your muffins at a higher oven temperature for a shorter period allows the muffins to rise faster and gives you that beautiful dome-shaped top.
If you baked them at a lower temperature for longer, they would come out more flat on top.
How Long Can German Muffins Last in The Refrigerator?
If you are storing these muffins in the refrigerator, they will last a bit longer than at room temperature.
Place the muffins in a sealed airtight container in the fridge and they will keep fresh for up to 5-days.
Can you make these muffins gluten-free?
These muffins can be made gluten-free quite easily. Simply swap out the flour for a gluten-free flour blend and continue with the rest of the recipe as is.
If you like this recipe, please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and I truly appreciate your feedback! I will always do my best to respond to every comment ASAP. Thank you for following along! and happy cooking!
Looks very delicious. I’m definitely going to try it.