How To Properly Store Muffins

Picture this. You get a box of the most delicious muffins ever. You tell yourself that you’re going to make them last for as long as possible, but by the third day, they’re already stale. Your wonderful treats need to be thrown away because you didn’t know the best way to store these tasty treats.

If you’ve ever been in that situation before, you know how heartbreaking it can be to have to get rid of tasty cakes before the end of their shelf life. But don’t worry, I’m here to make sure that you never have to worry about that again.

Here are some foolproof tips to keep your muffins fresh for as long a time as possible, whether homemade muffins or store bought.

First Things First

The first thing that you need to know is that you need to allow your muffins to cool completely to room temperature before storing them. If you don’t, they will just end up soggy. This is because when they’re still warm, they’re going to be giving off a lot of excess moisture and produce condensation.

Once you take your muffins out of the oven, leave them in the muffin pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until they cool to room temperature.

This will ensure that your muffins stay fresh and don’t turn into a soggy mess.

Storing Overnight

If you’ve made your muffins for a bake sale or party the next day and you need to keep your muffins fresh overnight, then the easiest method to do this is going to be to leave them out on your wire rack with a clear dish towel to cover them.

However, if you have children with wandering hands or pets who like to get involved with anything left on the counter, then it might be better to keep them fresh in an airtight container.

They can be left at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

Two To Four Days

Leaving your muffins out on the counter for more than a day will result in them losing moisture and drying out. If they do this, they’ll be stale, and you’ll have to say goodbye. This is a big no no to me, so let’s avoid it if we can.

In order to keep them fresh for two to three days, line an airtight container or a zip lock bag with paper towels and store the muffins in a single layer. Then place another layer of paper on top of the muffins as well.

You don’t need to store muffins in a container with a paper towel, however they’re more likely to become soggy if you leave them for too long. No one wants soggy muffins.

If you live in a warm environment, I recommend that you keep your muffins cool or to refrigerate muffins in order to keep them fresh for longer. This way they could keep for up to six days.

Up To Three Months

Did you know that you can freeze muffins? Well you can! This way, you can make a big batch of blueberry muffins or English muffins one day, and then keep them in the freezer for up to three months.

Your easiest method for locking in the moisture is similar to storing muffins in the fridge.

You’ll want to place the muffins in a zip lock bag or sealed container, this time with aluminum foil instead of paper towels. Keep muffins in a single layer to avoid them sticking together.

Ensure that you get as much air out of the bag as possible, and, to avoid freezer burn, place that sealed container in another sealed container, and then seal that one too.

Tip

Leave yourself a note on the bag or container specifying what flavor your muffins are and what date they went in the freezer so that you know when they need to be finished by, and what kind of muffin you’re going to be biting into.

Defrosting Muffins

When you’re ready to eat your frozen muffins, you’ll want to place them in the microwave, unwrapped and on a paper towel for about 30 seconds. Mind how long you do it for, because muffins can get soggy fast.

Store Bought Muffins

Of course, if you bought your muffins from the store, you don’t have to worry about waiting for them to cool down to room temperature. There will probably be instructions on the pack that tell you how you should keep them fresh or whether you can store your muffins in the freezer.

However, the instructions are likely to be the same. Keeping muffins fresh is all about keeping them at the right level of moisture. Too much and they’ll be soggy, too little and they’ll dry out and get stale – the balance is a difficult one to get right, but incredibly important for ensuring maximum freshness.

That said, there might be some different ingredients used in large batch, store made muffins. This can affect how long the muffins can remain fresh in their zip lock bags or packaging.

Extra Tips

The flavor of your muffins will change how long they can stay fresh outside of the freezer.

If they’re blueberry, cherry, sausage, or any other kind of fresh ingredient, then I wouldn’t expect them to last as long in the fridge, as those will produce extra condensation and might end up making them soggy. Or they could end up going off.

Final Thoughts

Muffins are a great treat, but sometimes it can be hard to finish a whole batch in one sitting. So in order to make the most of your leftover muffins, keep them fresh in an airtight container.

They can last up to 24 hours out on the counter with a dish towel over the top, up to four days in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer.