These cinnamon muffins are filled with cinnamon chips, a cinnamon and sugar layer baked right in, and finished with a crunchy cinnamon and sugar topping. This crumbly muffin cake goodness is exploding with lots of cinnamon flavor!
When I lived in PA, I shopped at Wegmans, the greatest grocery store on earth. Let us take a moment to bow our heads in silence because Arizona doesn’t have Wegmans. Okay, we’re done.
While shopping, I convinced myself that I needed a little treat. Cuz I had earned it, ya know? I’d usually ended up coming home with a giant cinnamon muffin and some fresh squeezed orange juice. Ohh, it was heaven.
There was one small downside to this: I was often running to the grocery store 3-4 times a week. That’s a lot of muffins. My pants were getting smaller. Sooo weird.
Therefore, it was only natural that I made my own homemade cinnamon muffins for this blog, for the simple reason that I could “taste test” them. I was forced to:
- Take a big bite for that tasty looking “money shot”
- Continue to take more bites to realllly make sure they’re good enough for you guys. (Remember our talk about how I’m kind of a spaz about not posting anything but the best? You thought I was weird, I thought we were bonding.)
- Eat one or two more muffins the next day, even though the photo shoot is over. You know, for quality control.
The things I do in the name of food blogging. #SOcommitted
But who can resist those crunchy, but still chewy cinnamon sugar bits on the top? And ohhhh yes – the cinnamon layer running through the moist middle. [smacks lips] Don’t you hate it when people make smacking noises? Me, too. But if they’re eating these muffins, I think you should give them a pass.
Is it difficult to make homemade cinnamon muffins?
I’d like to take this moment to quote Martin Luther King, Jr.’s staircase quote. You know the one…
“You don’t have to see the whole muffin, just take a handful of raw cinnamon chips straight from the bag and shove them into your mouth.”
Oh, is that not how he said it?
No, it’s not difficult! But I was no muffin expert. So, I decided to call in the expert, Sally’s Baking Addiction. She shares a great Master Muffin Mix recipe that I used for my cinnamon muffins.
You guys, the baked-in cinnamon layer. I wish I had a better picture, but I think I ate too many before bringing out the camera. You understand.
Here are 2 other muffin recipes you might like to try:
Fall Spiced Cranberry Muffins with Tangerine Glaze
Savory Breakfast Muffins with Sausage, Cheddar & Green Onions
Cinnamon Explosion Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups Hershey’s cinnamon chips (these can be found at Walmart.com or on Amazon here. Please note that this link is an affiliate link, which means I will earn a small commission if something is ordered at no extra cost to you.)
Cinnamon Layer
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cinnamon Topping
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray muffin pans with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for Cinnamon Swirl and set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine ingredients for Cinnamon Topping and set aside.
- In large bowl, combine first four ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon). Lightly whisk together and set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Next, whisk in buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
- Slowly fold wet ingredients into flour mixture. Be careful not to over-mix. Batter will be thick and lumpy and, if there are some small dry spots of flour, leave them be.
- Fold in 1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips to batter. Again, be careful not to over-mix!
- You’re going to be filling your muffin pans to the top. But first, fill each cup about half-way with batter. Then, sprinkle about 1-2 heaping teaspoons of Cinnamon Swirl mixture into each cup (over the batter you just put in). Next, fill the cup with the remaining batter. [NOTE: You could make them with 2 layers of cinnamon swirl, by filling the cups 1/3 of the way, add cinnamon swirl mixture, then add more batter, etc.] Just make sure the top layer is the batter.
- Once cups are filled with batter, sprinkle the the Cinnamon Topping mixture over the top of the batter.
- Bake muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without taking the muffins out of the oven, reduce heat to 375F and bake for an additional 23-26 minutes. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin, if it comes out clean they are done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
- Tell yourself you deserve to eat several at a time.
Notes
Makes 12 standard size muffins.
More great recipes at www.thekitchensnob.com
pralinek
Love it!
Cathy L Mallon
Can these be made jumbo size?
The Kitchen Snob
I would think they can be. However, I haven’t personally made them jumbo size so I’m unsure of the revised cook time. Let know how they turn out!
Robin Golden
I may give this one a try. I think i may be able to pull this one off! Oh, also maybe think about posting some cool recipeis for dog treats!
The Kitchen Snob
But I wouldn’t have a dog to test the flavors! haha
Gardengirl
I haven’t made these for a while but remember that they were wonderful. Looking forward to making them again.
Libby
I love these!
Gardengirl
I DID make these this Easter morning and they were
absolutely wonderful! And such a great cinnamon taste.
We loved them! I used skim milk instead of the
buttermilk because I had a “senior moment” at the
grocery store and DID NOT want to go back. They
turned out great but next time will use the recommended
buttermilk (I am sure they will be a lot better with it)!
The Kitchen Snob
Glad they turned out with the skim milk! You can always substitute regular or skim milk for the buttermilk, but they won’t turn out as moist.
thefairlyGoodMother
Look at those adorable little muffin holders! Where did you find those?
P.S. My diet hates you! It’s nearly swimsuit season & I have no business making these … but you know I will 🙂
The Kitchen Snob
I found those at Wegmans. So cute, right? I got a couple of different colors. I plan to make these muffins again in the next few weeks because I want better pictures of the inside of the muffin. (that’s what I’m telling myself, anyway!)
Jack
I think I did something wrong. The taste was great but the muffins came out dry and likely overcooked. I followed the timing (5 minutes at 425 then 375 for 23 minutes followed by only 5 minutes in the pan after I took out of the oven). I used regular sized cupcake/muffin tin.
Any thoughts?
The Kitchen Snob
Hi Jack! A couple of ideas…
If you used dark muffin tins, rather than light muffin tins, that can make your muffins cook faster because the dark tins hold the heat more. I would try lessening the cook time.
Also, have you tested your oven temperature lately? At my new house, it runs very hot so I have to reduce my temperature by 15 degrees for every recipe. You could purchase something like this oven thermometer (<-- this is an affiliate link). I purchased 2 of them and put one in the middle of my oven and one in the back so I can find the hot spots and test for accurate temperature. Do several tests at 350, 400, and 450 and you might notice that the temperature discrepancy grows as you set your oven hotter.
Gardengirl
I am making them this morning (Easter). Sounds
like a yummy start to the day! Update later…..
Gargengirl
They look so yummy! That is a beautiful crystal cake
dish in your “ever great” photos!!!
The Kitchen Snob
Thanks, Gardengirl! The cake plate is an antique and I love it.