If you give a college student an essay, three discussion boards and 10 chapters of reading, they’re going to want an iced coffee and a little treat to go with it.  

But college students don’t have the money to shill out for cafe food every day, so we learn to settle for coffee from the pot and forego the little treat … until now. This muffin recipe will make you 36 muffins for $13.44 or six for $5.71. 

Note: I bought this muffin mix on sale (three for $4) at King Sooper’s so prices may be slightly higher if bought at full value or at another store. All Betty Crocker muffin mix flavors contain the same cooking directions. 

Ingredients: 

Betty Crocker Muffin Mix (I made a variety of flavors for thorough journalism but pick your favorite.) 

1/2 cup of milk 

Cupcake liners 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line muffin pans with the cupcake liners.  

Combine your muffin mix and 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk until moist. 

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. I prefer to use an ice cream scoop instead of spoon for an easier process, but either one works. Pro tip: fill each halfway, then distribute the remaining batter to ensure more even muffins. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes. I found mine finished around 14 and a half. Insert a toothpick or butter knife into the center of one of the muffins. If it pulls out clean, your muffins are fully baked.  

Let cool for two to three minutes in the pan. 

Results: 

I purchased two blueberry, one strawberry, one mixed berry, one chocolate chip and one cinnamon sugar mix. What can I say? I crave variety. Each bag yielded 6 muffins, leaving me with 36 overall. If you aren’t baking to share, making one bag at a time provides a perfect weekly stash.  

These were extremely easy to make and avoided expensive ingredients like eggs and butter. Whisking the batter with the milk took less than a minute. 

Overall, making the muffins took me about an hour switching between two muffin pans. If you only have one, the baking time will double for you.  

The muffins turned out a little dry, but they were still delicious and absolutely worth the bang for your buck. I’d recommend making these for any social function where you want to avoid buying overpriced chips. That’s what I’m doing.  

Baking these muffins will be a breeze. Now, if you give a college student their little treat and iced coffee, they’ll (sadly) have to go do their homework. 

Graphic via The Scribe archives. 

Blueberry, wildberry and strawberry muffins arranged in a heart shape. Photo by Zee O’Donnell. 

Chocolate chip and cinnamon sugar muffins. Photo by Zee O’Donnell.