Getting your corn muffins to come out perfect can take a few tries if you don’t get it the first time. But corn muffins can get so dry because of overbaking, overmixing, or adding the wrong substitutions.  The best way to tell when your muffins are ready is by sticking a toothpick inside the center of the muffin and seeing if it comes out clean. If you mix your batter too much, gluten develops, and if there’s too much of it, it could cause the batter to become dry and rubbery. Simply mix with gentle strokes until you no longer see any streaks of flour. And while you may not have all the ingredients, I recommend you stick to the recipe to avoid the outcome being unintended.