DIY Parchment Paper Baking Cups Make Homemade Muffins Look Like They're Straight From A Café

Peeling back the paper from a warm, fragrant, freshly baked muffin at a local café feels almost mesmerizing, while tipping an ordinary muffin out of your pan at home just doesn't invoke the same vibe. The good news is that it's incredibly easy (and inexpensive) to create that café-quality feel right in your kitchen. All you need is parchment paper and a scissor to create your very own tulip baking cups that look like they've bloomed around your muffins as they baked.

To prep the cups, you'll need to cut parchment paper into 5-inch squares and then add a 2-inch slit straight down the middle of each side. The resulting squares should resemble a pinwheel with four "petals," which is why some refer to these as tulip cups. The weight of the batter gently falling into each parchment-lined cup allows them to nestle appealingly around the mixture for specialty store appeal. Ina Garten suggests using an ice cream scooper to deftly drop in the perfect amount of muffin batter each time.

The parchment paper method also allows you to fill your muffin tins a bit higher without worrying that they'll spill over, and makes it easier to lift each muffin out of the pan after it bakes. If you have little helpers at home, making parchment paper cups is a great way to get the whole crew involved. If you're feeling extra crafty, consider scalloping the edge of the paper or even using pinking shears for liners with a cute zig-zag edge. Just be sure not to make the squares too big to avoid any chance that the parchment paper will catch while they are baking (and don't use wax paper which can melt in the oven). For a special occasion, a ribbon tied smartly around each muffin is a memorable finishing touch.

To give your muffins even more bakeshop appeal, consider sprinkling sugar on top before baking (again, Ina Garten uses large turbinado sugar crystals) for a crackly top that begs to be shattered. This muffin top move is particularly delicious on blueberry muffins spiked with lemon. If you don't have time for homemade muffins, but still want to impress, consider zhuzhing up a store-bought mix with buttermilk instead of using water or milk and then baking in your homemade parchment paper cups.