My daughter recently asked for chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast on her birthday. Since it was a school day, and pancakes are never made in my house without a major emotional drama over the relative size, quantity, and facial composition of said pancakes compared to their siblings (we have an emoji pancake pan), I immediately said no. Pancakes are for the weekend.

But I felt guilty about turning down my daughter’s pancake request, so I offered chocolate chip muffins as a consolation, since I could make them the night before. But as I was mixing the batter, I thought, well, these would be better fresh out of the oven. Why bother making them if they’re just going to be at room temperature or in the microwave tomorrow?

But wait. Can I refrigerate the batter and bake them fresh in the morning? I searched the internet to see if this would negatively impact the final product (by, I don’t know, letting the air out? I’m not a food scientist). It turns out that refrigerating the batter doesn’t ruin muffins, but can actually make them better, more like those beautifully domed, impossibly fluffy muffins you buy at the bakery. Here’s why.

Letting the batter rest overnight gives the ingredients a chance to better perform as designed. According to The Kitchn, "while muffin batter rests, the starches in the flour have more time to absorb the moisture from the eggs and liquid in the batter. As a result, the starches swell, giving the batter a thicker, chewier consistency."