How can I prevent my muffins from having pointy, peaked tops?

Question

Learn why muffins get pointed tops and how to adjust mixing or oven temperature.

Answer 1

To prevent muffins from having pointy, peaked tops, avoid overmixing the batter, which overdevelops gluten and causes the center to rise too much, and ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature.

Detailed Explanation:

Those undesirable pointy tops on muffins are often a sign of one primary issue:

• Overmixing (The Main Culprit): This is the most common reason. When you mix muffin batter, you're developing gluten. While some gluten development is necessary for structure, too much (from overmixing) makes the batter tough and elastic. This elasticity causes the center of the muffin to resist spreading outwards as it bakes, forcing it to rise straight up into a peak. The muffin method (combining wet and dry ingredients separately, then mixing just until combined with visible lumps) is designed to prevent this.
• Too Much Flour: If you've incorrectly measured flour (e.g., scooping directly from the bag, compacting it), you might have too much flour in your batter. This also leads to a stiffer batter and more gluten development, contributing to peaked tops.
• Oven Temperature: While less common than overmixing, an oven that is too hot can cause the exterior of the muffin to set too quickly, trapping the steam and leavening gases and forcing the center to erupt into a peak. Ensure your oven is accurately preheated.

The goal for muffins is a rounded, slightly domed top, not a sharp peak.

Pro Tip:

Always remember the 'muffin method' for mixing: combine all dry ingredients in one bowl, all wet in another, then pour the wet into the dry and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Lumps are good!