Why do muffins get sticky on top

So try and go for a softer frosting. Another idea would be to glaze your cupcakes and give them a nice finish. Instead make a glaze out of egg whites and icing sugar. This way it gets that nice crispy texture that will contrast beautifully with the soft interior of the cupcake. Or, you can glaze them with dark chocolate like the Hostess ones, and add some colored sprinkles on top. If all else fails or none of the ideas above really strike your fancy, you can simply cut off the top of the cupcakes.

This may be useful if your cupcakes are domed, or if you want to pile the frosting high. This way you expose more crumbs and non-sticky areas to the surface. I tasted one of each muffin. The muffin wrapped in plastic wrap was already pretty soft and squishy. The muffin that was on the wire rack and uncovered already felt fairly dry and crumbly, though the one under the towel felt the same as the day before. All the muffins in airtight containers had the same texture as they did right after cooling.

The muffins on the wire rack were already fairly dried out. I tasted one of each muffin, and the one that was on the wire rack but uncovered was incredibly crumbly and unappealing.

The muffin from the wire rack and covered by a towel tasted fine, though it was clearly drier than its airtight container stored counterparts. As for the muffins in the airtight container, the one stored without any paper towels was looking considerably softer than it had the day before. However, the other two were about equal.

Later, I tested just the last two methods: storing in a container with a paper towel on the bottom, and storing in a container with paper towels on the top and bottom. By Day 3 or 4, the muffins stored with two paper towels consistently held their flavor and texture better than the muffins stored with just one paper towel. The towels-on-top-and-bottom method is clearly the winner. Your breads will still be full of flavor and moisture but not too much moisture the next morning, and any raw sugar sprinkles or streusel topping will still be pretty and distinct.

Line up your muffins or bread, then top with another layer of paper towels before sealing with the lid. The paper towels will absorb the extra moisture, and your muffins and quick breads will retain most of their texture and flavor for up to four days.

Thank You! This makes so much sense. I will be storing my muffins with paper towel from now on. The same concepts apply! Julie, such a fantastic, helpful post, just in time for the bake sale tomorrow! Thanks and love the graphic! Follow up experiment: What about configurations of small dish towels in sealed containers? Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to try all those different storage methods!

I totally love all your science-of-cooking posts. This is really useful information, I usually screw up my muffin storage. Great tips! I never thought to store my muffins with a paper towel or towel but that makes so much sense! I would have guessed the paper towel tupperware option would have been the best. I just made muffins and the sogginess ensued. I will try this!!

See you soon, roomie! Thanks for your info. On freezing the muffins. Never thought of that. Will do so in future. Thanks to all. I have been thinking about this post since it went up! Your graphics really stuck with me, and I put your method to the test already. Cookies, Cupcakes, etc etc etc! I also just wanted to say that finding this was terrific! Thanks for doing this fieldwork for us all.

We go camping in Canada every year. I have one set of guys who want my banana loaf, while the others prefer muffins. I make ahead and freeze. The muffins always got soggy while the loaf fared better.

Thank you for this information! I will definitely be putting paper towels in my container next time I make muffins. I have a bad habit of cooking very late at night so I have the problem of not wanting to wait until my muffins are completely cool in order to store. Your solution of putting them on a wire rack with a dish towel over them until morning is genius.

Thank you!! There are a few other things you can do to create a crunchy muffin top yourself. You can make a crunchy topping specifically for the top of the muffins. Typically, this topping will include some brown sugar. You can also make just the muffin tops, and not the rest of the muffin, which gives you greater control over how the tops come out.

You just need a muffin top tin. If all else fails, you can absolutely try a new recipe. There are many, many muffin recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet. Here is a good rule of thumb to follow when choosing a recipe: especially if you live in a humid climate, a recipe that contains more sugar than flour will inevitably get sticky, if not at first, then eventually.

Look for a low-sugar recipe. Also, look for a recipe that uses butter instead of other fat sources like oils. This Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe uses butter and has more than twice the amount of flour than sugar. We already said that if all else fails, you can try a new recipe, but you actually still have one more option: embrace the stickiness!

Sometimes, the moist exterior makes them taste more like a sweet pastry than a breakfast grain. Alternatively, you can use the stickiness to your advantage to adhere decorations to make them even more lovely. Baking is so unlike cooking, in that it is an exact art, and it takes a long time to develop real skills. Why Are My Muffins Crumbly?