The best way to portion muffin batter is to use a small ladle or ice cream scoop to pour it into either a shallow muffin tray or muffin tins. Whichever is used, it should be lined with paper muffin liners. Giving the liners a quick spray with vegetable oil will make it easier to get the muffins out. To get that big muffin top, the tins should be slightly over-filled.
There are many recipes for muffins. Those using less butter and sugar usually produce a bread-like muffin, while those using more of the same will produce a more cake-like muffin. The choice is a matter of personal taste.
In order to get muffins, rather than hockey pucks, it is vital to make sure the batter is not over mixed. The dry ingredients should be mixed together first and the wet ingredients whisked together in a separate bowl. Finally, the dry ingredients are folded gently into the wet mix. It does not matter if some small lumps remain in the batter, so long as everything has been moistened. Nuts, fruits, etc are added last and lightly stirred in.
The batter is then poured into the prepared tins, using the ice cream scoop or ladle. Slightly over-filling the tins will give that deliciously big top. The tins are then placed, on a tray, on the rack in the middle of the pre-heated oven. The temperature should be about 400 degrees F, or 200 degrees C. They should be ready within about 20 to 25 minutes, or when the tops are golden brown.
Muffins should cool for a while before trying to remove them from their tins. They are now ready to eat or store.
