Easy Yum Yum Muffins – Old‑Fashioned, Delicious, & Ready in Minutes

 

 

There’s something wonderfully comforting about a simple muffin recipe you can count on, and these Yum Yum Muffins are exactly that — soft, tender, lightly sweet, and perfect for breakfast or an anytime treat. Made with everyday pantry ingredients and ready in just minutes, they’re the kind of bake that fills your kitchen with warm, homey aromas and brings everyone wandering in to see what’s fresh from the oven.

Whether you love small‑batch baking, easy muffin recipes, or nostalgic flavors that remind you of childhood kitchen moments, these Yum Yum Muffins deliver every time. They’re quick to mix, beautifully moist, and ideal for busy mornings, lunchboxes, or cozy afternoon snacks. If you’re looking for a reliable muffin recipe that’s simple, delicious, and fuss‑free, a muffin that is not a cake, then this vintage muffin recipe is sure to become a favorite.

 

I really love muffins, especially muffins that are not like cake.  When I eat a muffin I don't want a piece of cake, or muffins that are like eating cake, being overly sweet . . . high in fat. If I want cake, I'll bake  a cake.

I want a muffin as it is supposed to be, as they were originally intended to be.  A quick bread, slightly raised with rounded pebbly top.  The insides filled with nice holes. Perfect for spreading with a tiny pat of butter, that you don't need to feel guilty about eating because the muffins themselves are not high in fat.  In short, an old-fashioned muffin.

A muffin just like this old fashioned-muffin recipe I am sharing with you today. This recipe was adapted from one which I found in a vintage Five Roses Cookbook. This book was originally published in 1967 and is one of my prized cookbooks. This adapted recipe is a small batch recipe and produces six perfect muffin. Not loaded with fat and sugar. Delicious, plain and simple.  Flavored with ground baking spices, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, and generously studded with raisins. A muffin you can feel good about eating.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE YUM YUM MUFFINS

Simple ingredients put together simply and deliciously. 

• 1 cup (120g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (75g) raisins
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 2 TBS butter, melted

 

INGREDIENTS NOTES 

• To measure your flour, spoon it into a metal measuring cup and level off the top with a straight edge. Don't use self-rising flour.
• I used Kirkland brand organic granulated sugar. If you are in the U.K. use caster sugar.
• Use the freshest spices you can. Even better, grate or grind your own. Freshly grated/ground spices will give you amazing flavors.
• Not a fan of raisins?  Try using toasted chopped walnuts or pecans in their place.
• Make sure you use fresh eggs. I get mine at a local chicken farm.
• I used whole milk.
• I used salted butter.

HOW TO MAKE YUM YUM MUFFINS

These go together simply and easily.

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter six muffin cups really well. Set aside. (Alternately you can use paper liners. I would still grease the liners.)
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Stir in the spices and then stir in the raisins to coat them with the flour. (Coating the raisins with the dry ingredients helps to distribute them easily in the batter.)
3. Whisk the egg, milk and melted butter together. (Alternately you could use sunflower oil instead of the butter.)
4. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir together just to combine. The batter should be lumpy, but there should be no big dry streaks in it. (Don't overmix or the muffins will be tough.)
5. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. (2/3 full)
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. (They should be well risen and the tops should spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center of one should come out clean.)
7. Remove from cups to a wire rack to cool.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR GREAT MUFFINS

Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your muffins turn out beautifully every time:

1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine. 

 2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.

 3. Add your flavors last.  While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.  

4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, do use paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer. 

 5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round tops and to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups.  Often if your tins are over filled the muffins will rise to the top and then collapse on themselves.

 6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top.  Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping, even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As the muffins rise these toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.  

7. Protect your baking pan.  If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will help to protect your pan from buckling. 

8. Cooling them down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan. 

9. Freeze extras for later. Muffins freeze beautifully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're baked, wrap them in plastic wrap  tightly,  and put them in the freezer for later. They will keep for about 3 months and reheat wonderfully in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high from frozen. 

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN THESE MUFFINS BE MIXED TOGETHER AHEAD OF TIME?

If you like you can mix together the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, ready to mix together when you are ready to bake them. The dry ingredients can be kept in a bowl, covered on the countertop. The wet ingredients should be kept in the refrigerator, covered. Bring them to room temperature before mixing and baking. I would not do this more than 24 hours ahead of time.

CAN I CUT THIS RECIPE BE DOUBLED?

Yes, you can absolutely double this recipe. Simply multiply all of the ingredients by two and bake in a 12 cup muffin tin. Bake times will remain the same.

CAN THESE BE FROZEN ONCE BAKED?

Yes, these can be frozen after baking. Simply wrap  each muffin individually in some cling film and then place them all into a zip lock baggie, label and date.  That way you can take out as many or as few as you wish to eat. You can thaw them on the countertop for several hours, or you can gently reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high. You can freeze them for up to three months, properly wrapped.

HOW LONG WILL THESE MUFFINS KEEP ONCE BAKED?

These muffins are best eaten on the day as they are relatively low in fat.

 

A FEW OTHER MUFFIN RECIPES TO ENJOY

Here are a few other muffin recipes that you might also enjoy!

SPECIAL K BREAKFAST MUFFINS - These are the PERFECT breakfast muffins. Quick and easy to make. Delicious. I highly recommend. Simple and filled with fiber. You can use ordinary Special K cereal, or you can be a bit more extravagant and use one of the varieties which contain fruit.  This recipe makes half a dozen fabulous muffins. 

GINGERBREAD MUFFINS - I am a hug fan of gingerbread anything. I think gingerbread is probably one of my favorite things to bake and eat! They are moist and delicious with a lovely crumb and beautiful ginger/cinnamon flavor. The recipe makes a full batch of 12 fabulous muffins!

 

 

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Yield: Makes 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Yum Yum Muffins (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This old fashioned recipe makes six tasty muffins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (75g) raisins
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 2 TBS butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter six muffin cups really well. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Stir in the spices and then stir in the raisins to coat them with the flour.
3. Whisk the egg, milk and melted butter together.
4. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir together just to combine. The batter should be lumpy, but there should be no big dry streaks in it.
5. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. (2/3 full)
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Remove from cups to a wire rack to cool.

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