MIDDLEBORO — For some, the most beautiful sight in the world might be the sun cresting over the ridges of the Grand Canyon or the aurora borealis dancing across the sky. 

For Sheila Offley, it’s how her muffins look when they puff up in the oven. 

“When they rise and get that mushroom cup, it’s a beautiful thing to see,” she said after topping off a batch with a powdered sugar glaze.

For seven years, Offley has been the muffin woman behind the curtain at Coffee Milano in Middleboro. She started by just selling 50 muffins a month. In June, she racked up nearly 2,000 muffin sales, she said. 

Coffee Milano sells 124 varieties of muffins, which include eccentric flavors such as jalapeno corn and pancake. 

Offley said her “shameless” muffins, as they’re advertised in the coffee shop, stand out for their variety – and their size. 

“I say go big or go home,” said Offley. “That’s my motto with a lot of things in life, and that’s my motto with my muffins.”. 

“They’re ‘shameless’ because it would be a shame if you don’t eat the whole thing,” she added with a smile. 

Her secret ingredient? “I love what I do. I love everything about making my muffins,” she said. 

Each day, she clocks in at 2:30 a.m. to start baking. 

Offley, who has been baking since high school, said she understands the science involved. 

“I don’t use measuring cups, I’ve never done that,” she said. “I know how many eggs and how much oil to put in.” 

Once the muffins are in the oven, she watches them constantly. “I don’t put a timer on. Every five to ten minutes, I check my muffins to make sure they’re rising correctly,” she said.

Offley glowed as she described watching her creations “get that nice, golden brown” color.

How the muffins look is just as important as how they taste, she said. “Your eyes are the appetite to your stomach. If it’s appealing to the eye, it’s going to be appealing to the palette and the stomach.”

Coming up with flavors is a team effort, she said. Cafe Milano owners Josh Rashid and Gunnar Gudmundsson, staff and even customers come up with ideas. Some of which, such as Gudmundsson’s suggestion for a maple bacon muffin, have become top sellers.

Offley said she gets a “high” from coming up with combinations people have never tried before.