Mini-Muffin Tins

This mini-muffin tin impressed us with baked goods that were perfectly golden brown and more evenly baked than those made in any other tin. The fairly narrow cups hold 2⅓ tablespoons each, which is the perfect size to produce attractive food that is tender yet fully cooked at the center. Food released easily, and the tin was comfortable to maneuver in and out of the oven due to its roomy 1¼-inch exterior rim.

Made from steel, with a wide, 1¼-inch rim, this tin browned baked goods well and was easy to hold. Its cups held 2⅛ tablespoons of batter and turned out classically shaped muffins and cakes. The food it produced was just a hair less evenly baked than the food baked in our winner. This tin is a great alternative at a much lower price.

This aluminized steel muffin tin browned items well and evenly. Foods baked in this tin were attractive, but they were shaped a bit differently than foods baked in other tins. The cups are considerably wider at the top than at the bottom, so the sides of the baked goods were sharply angled. This was the only tin in our lineup with a textured surface, which left behind a slight pattern on the bottom of the food. We liked its wide, easy-to-grip rim.

Another strong performer, this aluminized-steel tin distributed heat evenly, so the baked goods were well browned, though not quite as evenly so as those made in our winning tin. With its 1¼-inch rim, there was plenty of space to hold when maneuvering the tin. Lastly, its nonstick coating ensured that food released completely and made for easy cleanup.

With the widest rim (1⅔ inches) and grippy handles, this tin was by far the most comfortable and secure to hold. Although the dark color of this pan helped the food baked in it to brown quickly, the browning was slightly less even than what some other models produced. Even so, the food was still perfectly acceptable.

At just ⅔ inch wide, the rim of this tin was one of the narrowest in our lineup, so maneuvering the tin was slightly awkward. This tin didn’t brown foods quite as evenly as others, but the baked goods were attractively shaped.

This tin’s cups had the largest capacity and the second-widest diameter of any tin’s cups in our lineup. The overall shape of the muffins was acceptable, but the batter didn’t rise to make a classic domed top. Financiers, however, looked more like coins than mini cakes. There was only ⅓ inch of space around the rim, so we struggled while maneuvering this tin.

We liked the roomy rim and grippy handles of this colorful, confetti-patterned model. Baked goods released easily, too. However, it’s made from silicone, which does not disperse heat evenly, so the sides of the muffins and financiers were pale, and their bottoms were spottily browned; the financiers also required more time to finish baking than those baked in other tins. The silicone cups were soft and flexible, so the tin was very unsteady when we rotated it in the oven.

The large capacity and wide shape of this tin’s cups created flat, pancake-like financiers. Not only did the cakes look oddly flat, but their middles were dry instead of chewy and tender. The muffins and financiers were unevenly browned, with noticeable splotches. This tin is made from aluminum, which is a good conductor of heat, but it had trouble evenly browning items because it does not distribute heat evenly.