The Simple Reason Your Muffins Turned Out Dry

A delectable treat, having a muffin for breakfast is an easy way to make your morning feel a little special. But whether you're whipping up a batch of classic banana muffins or using a pre-made box mix, sometimes, no matter what you seem to do, they still turn out disappointing and dry.

You've followed Quaker Oats' advice and made sure to not mix your muffin batter too vigorously, taking care to fold in ingredients like fruit and nuts. You always put the same amount of batter in each liner, like Bake or Break suggests, so that your muffins equally bake. But you can't, for the life of you, figure out why your favorite breakfast keeps turning out dry. Well, we have some good news: You no longer have to despair over the desert-like state of your muffins, because the reason they keep drying out before you've had a chance to savor them very likely has a painless fix.

Luckily, your muffin's dryness could have very little to do with your baking skills or your recipe. According to the Kitchn, the muffin tin may be to blame for your treat's tendency to be less than moist.

If you allow your muffins to cool down while they're still in the pan, they aren't actually cooling at all. Because the muffin tin just got out of the oven, it of course is still hot. This heat causes the muffins to continue baking, leaving you with a hard, dry breakfast. To avoid making this baking mistake, the outlet suggests setting the muffins on another surface, such as a cooling rack, as soon as you're able.

But if you find you're a bit too late on this discovery or you happen to forget to take the important cooling step, you don't have to resign yourself to eating a dozen dry muffins. LiveStrong explains you can save your slightly overbaked treats by adding back in some moisture. All you have to do is brush the tops of your muffins with a bit of milk before they completely cool. If you really went too far, you can also try steaming your muffins when you're ready to eat them.