DIY MUFFIN MIX (with freestyle chart of add-in options): The frugal farm girl's DIY ready-made mix series.

Ready-made mixes: Homemade goodness made simple, one jar at a time.

Introducing another ready-made mix for your pantry: Homemade Muffin Mix. This mix is one of my favorites. It won't just save you money, it'll save space on your pantry shelves! That's because with this one mix, you can make nearly any variety of muffin you can think of (when you use my easy to follow customization chart, printable below)! 

Homemade almond poppy seed muffins
using homemade Muffin Mix.

Baking from scratch doesn't get any easier than this! You want banana nut muffins? Easy. Just pull out your homemade muffin mix with the wet ingredients needed for basic muffins. Then refer to your freestyle customization chart to select your add-ins (available as a printable below). Your muffins will be baking in the oven in no time flat! I love using my freestyle chart. It can spark ideas of new things to try, as well as help me make use of what I happen to have on hand. Now that's homemade convenience and frugal living at it's best!

So are you ready to make some muffin mix? Well okay! Grab your apron and let's gather in the kitchen...

How to make the mix 

In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients together with a whisk:

8 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Store your muffin mix in an air-tight, one-and-a-half gallon size canister in your pantry until its needed. 

How to use the mix

To make muffins, you'll need to add the following ingredients, for basic muffins, and if desired, your choice of add-ins from the printable chart below for countless other muffin variations. 

To make basic muffins

In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients with a rubber spatula just until blended (avoid over-mixing or your muffins may turn out tough):

2 2/3 cups homemade muffin mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) or any other oil

(See freestyle chart below for add-in options)

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan on a wire rack. I batch yields approximately 24 muffins.

It's easy to customize your muffins! Check out the customization chart below...

How to customize your muffins

With the freestyle chart below, customization is easy and the options are almost endless! Just select your add-ins: Choose one or a combination of a few, but keep in mind the total shouldn't exceed 1 1/2 cups. Also, it's a good idea to choose equal wet to dry add-ins when you're working with dry powdery options like cornmeal, ground flax seed, bran, etc. Otherwise, your muffins may turn out to dry. So, for example, if you're adding cornmeal, try also adding applesauce. Don't be afraid to experiment, and be sure to write down what you try, so if you love it, you can do it again! Happy muffin making! (You'll find a downloadable PRINTABLE version of this chart further down).

Freestyle Muffins Chart  

EXTRACTS (1 to 2 tablespoons) * Look for all-natural and/or organic extracts
Vanilla	Coconut	Esspresso
Lemon	Maple	Pumpkin Pie
Almond	Orange	Strawberry
SPICES / HERBS (1 to 2 teaspoons)
Cinnamon	Pumpkin Pie Spice	Rosemary
Nutmeg	Apple Pie Spice	Thyme
Allspice	Ginger	Basil
DRIED FRUIT (1/2 to 1 cup)
Raisins	Dried Blueberries	Dried Apples
Dried Cranberries	Dried Cherries	Dried Apricots
Dried Strawberries	Dried Pineapple	Dried Mango
FRESH / CANNED / FROZEN FRUIT (1 cup fresh: 3/4 cup frozen: 1/2 cup canned)
Apple	Strawberries	Pumpkin Puree
Banana	Blueberries	Applesauce
Raspberries	Cranberries	Sweet Corn
NUTS / SEEDS (2 to 4 tablespoons)
Poppy Seeds	Sliced Almonds	Hemp Seeds
Shredded Coconut	Chopped Walnuts	Flax Seeds
Sunflower Seeds	Chopped Pecans	Ground Flax Seed
Chia Seeds	Bran	Wheat Germ
OTHER (1 cup, unless otherwise noted)
Chocolate Chips	Cocoa Powder	Zucchini, grated
White Chocolate Chips	Bacon Bits	Lemon Zest (1-2 tsp)
Butterscotch Chips	Parm. Cheese (1/2 cup)	Orange Zest (1-2 tsp)
Vanilla Chips	Cornmeal (1/2 cup)	Lime Zest (1-2 tsp)
TOPPINGS (Mix and apply as directed)
1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon: Top muffins prior to baking, then bake	1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon: Lightly sprinkle muffins prior to baking, then bake	Brush baked muffin tops with melted butter and dip in a bowl of cinnamon and white sugar (or any other spice and sugar)
Brush tops of unbaked muffins with a beaten  egg, and sprinkle with seeds, oats, or chopped nuts, then bake	Mix 2/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 to 1 tsp extract of your choice, and 1 tablespoon water: Drizzle over cooled muffin tops	Melt 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until smooth: Dip baked muffin tops in the chocolate and let harden as it cools

CLICK HERE to download a FREE PRINTABLE version of the

Freestyle Chart.

Also, remember to download your FREE PRINTABLE LABELS! Each mix post in this series comes with a link to a free downloadable page of 8 labels and instructions to attach to your homemade mixes. These labels are simple and easy to read, and done to look a bit retro (which I love) with their lettering and color scheme. You can print your labels onto white card-stock, cut them out, and use double-sided tape to stick them to your jars of mixes. Or, keep it super simple and print your labels on this sticker paper by Avery. Just cut them out and stick them right to your jars. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to download your Muffin Mix Labels.

CLICK HERE to download your Muffin Mix Instruction Labels.

WANT TO SEE MORE POSTS LIKE THIS?

CLICK HERE to see a complete index of the posts in this series!

Would you like to check out more freestyle recipes like this one? Check out these links:

DIY Granola

DIY Homemade Ice Cream

Let's chat. Do you plan to give this recipe a try? If so, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Enjoy all your muffin making creativity! 

Until next time...

Joy--Fearless Farm Girl,

"Farm girl: it's a verb, because it's what you do."

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DIY MUFFIN MIX with free-style recipe chart.