Muffins with a Confettura Centre: The Master Recipe and Six Fillings

Muffins are the gateway bake: twelve from one bowl, twenty minutes in the oven. Precisely because they seem so simple, they often disappoint — overmixed, overbaked, and dry at the centre. Yet a single spoonful of confettura in the middle solves both problems at once: it keeps the crumb moist and turns every bite into a small revelation.

For the centre Extra confetture, rich in fruit Apricot, fig, wild berry, lemon — cooked in small batches. from €7.90 Browse the collection → or build your own tasting box — free shipping from €49

The master recipe, for 12 muffins

• 300 g flour + 2 tsp baking powder
• 120 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml buttermilk (or yoghurt thinned with milk)
• 100 ml neutral oil or 100 g melted butter
• A pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla
• 12 tsp confettura for the centres

1. Mix dry and wet separately. Flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in one bowl; eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in another.
2. Tip together and stir no more than ten times. The batter may look lumpy — this is the cardinal rule of muffins. Stir until smooth and you develop gluten, ending up with tough, tunnelled crumbs.
3. Fill cases halfway, place a teaspoon of confettura in the centre, then cover with more batter until the case is two-thirds full. The confettura must not touch the sides, or it will burn.
4. Bake 20–22 minutes at 180°C. Test with a skewer at the edge, not the centre — that is where the confettura lies.
5. Rest 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. Left in the tin, they continue to cook and dry out.

The trick to keeping the centre from leaking

Confettura liquefies in the heat and sinks. Two defences: stir a pinch of cornflour into the confettura beforehand (half a teaspoon for 12 muffins is enough), and place it in the middle without pressing. Push it down and you open a path to the base.

Thick confettura with a high fruit content works best for the centre — thin, runny jellies almost always escape.

Six fillings that work

• Apricot: the classic, with enough acidity to balance the sweet batter.
• Fig and walnut: fig confettura in the centre, chopped walnuts in the batter. The autumn version.
• Wild berry: the most dramatic colour — almost violet when cut.
• Lemon: lemon confettura in the centre plus lemon zest in the batter, so the flavours marry rather than compete.
• Orange and chocolate: orange confettura in the centre, 80 g dark chocolate chunks in the batter.
• Savoury, for grown-ups: fig confettura and a cube of blue cheese in the centre, batter without vanilla and with only 60 g sugar. Sounds odd, yet these disappear first from the tray.

The two rules for moist muffins

Fold, don't stir. Ten movements, then stop. Lumps in the batter vanish in the oven.

Two minutes under is better than one minute over. Muffins continue to cook as they cool. Wait until a skewer comes out completely dry and you have already gone too far.

Frequently asked questions

How long do muffins keep?
In a tin, 2–3 days; the confettura centre keeps them moist longer than plain muffins. Frozen, 3 months; refresh for 5 minutes at 150°C after thawing.

Can I replace oil with butter?
Yes. Butter brings more flavour, oil keeps them moist for longer.

Why are my muffins hollow in the middle?
Too much baking powder or too hot an oven: the muffin rises too quickly and collapses inward.

Paper cases or greased tin?
Paper is safer — with confettura centres, things tend to stick.

For the centre, fruit content matters: our extra confetture are cooked in small batches in southern Italy. Prefer to make your own? Find the master recipe at making marmalade at home.