Hint: Domed tops!
Ingredients
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp oil (I used olive, you can also use vegetable)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/c cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Combine buttermilk, butter, oil, room temperature eggs, greek yogurt, vanilla, and sugar.
Mix in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Allow batter to rest for 1-2 hours, covered, at room temperature.
Fill lined muffin tins almost completely full. None of that 2/3 stuff here. IF YOU HAVE COARSE SUGAR, sprinkle over the unbaked muffins. (I did not have coarse sugar)
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Bake muffins for 5 minutes, then drop oven to 350 F, not removing the muffins, and bake until domed and golden, about 13 minutes.
Remove muffins from oven and allow to cool.
Photos!
"Bakery style" muffins are those muffins you get from a cafe or bakery that are super domed and usually have that gorgeous, sparkly, crunchy, coarse sugar on top. You see them in those display cases and your mouth starts to water. They're also super big.
Thus, here are my recommendations for making bakery style muffins:
Ensure they are very domed.
Ideally sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Use jumbo muffin tins.
These muffins are not sprinkled with coarse sugar or jumbo, you say! I know. But why would I spend money on a jumbo muffin pan just for one specific muffin recipe? Also, I did not have coarse sugar on hand and I didn't feel like going to the store just for one nonessential ingredient. But, I did achieve higher domed muffins than I ever have before.
Step 1 is more complex than step 2 or 3. I did some research on what makes muffins more domed. My research revealed the first trick: allowing batter to sit for about an hour. This lets the gluten in the batter relax. Relaxed gluten = fluffier, taller muffins. The second tip is the high temperature to start. 425 for 5 minutes makes the muffins rise kind of aggressively, and then turning the temperature back down lets them bake the rest of the way without burning. These techniques were recommended by the kitchen whisperer blog.
Hope this helps anyone who was frustrated like me with flat muffin tops!
Love,
Rachel