Cinnamon Muffins

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These cinnamon muffins are easy to make, but they pack a strong cinnamon punch! There's cinnamon in the batter, as well as a swirl of cinnamon brown sugar running through the middle of the muffin. And, there's cinnamon sugar baked on top too, of course!

split cinnamon muffin with butter spread on one half

Cinnamon may be considered somewhat of a "common" flavor, but I think it deserves to be celebrated! And in this cinnamon muffin recipe, cinnamon really is at the forefront.

The batter itself includes cinnamon; plus, there is a nice crunchy topping of cinnamon brown sugar. And, for an added cinnamon surprise, there is a ribbon of cinnamon brown sugar running right through the middle of the muffin!

These cinnamon muffins are the perfect thing for a quick breakfast, or as an accompaniment for afternoon tea. Plus, they freeze well so you can keep some on hand when you're craving something sweet!

Recipe ingredients

ingredients for cinnamon muffins with text overlay

Ingredient notes

Oil: you can use any neutral oil you have in your cabinet for these cinnamon muffins; I used canola oil, but any vegetable oil would work fine, or even grapeseed oil if you have it.

Milk: I used 2% because that's what I had in my fridge, but whole milk or skim milk would work, or even a low-sugar non-dairy milk should work ok. (If you're interested, here is an article on which non-dairy milks are best for baking!)

Brown sugar: I used dark brown sugar because I prefer the extra molasses-y flavor, but light brown sugar would be ok to use too.

Step by step photos

1. First, fill a 12 cup muffin tin with liners, or grease each muffin cup. Set aside.

2. Then, mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar for the cinnamon sugar topping, set it aside for now.

stirring cinnamon and brown sugar together with small spoon

3. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

4. Then, whisk together the wet ingredients (and the sugars) in a separate, large bowl.

whisking wet ingredients for cinnamon muffins

5. Then, add the dry ingredients into the wet in small batches, whisking in between each addition.

collage showing dry ingredients being mixed into wet muffin ingredients

6. Keep whisking just until the batter is smooth, but don't overmix!

7. Fill each muffin tin about ⅓ of the way full.

batter being poured into lined muffin tin

8. Then, sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture across the surface of each partially-filled muffin.

sprinkling cinnamon sugar on muffin batter

9. Then, top off the muffins with the rest of the batter.

batter being added on top of cinnamon layer

10. Distribute the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the muffin batter.

sprinkling cinnamon brown sugar on top of muffin batter

11. Bake the muffins until the tops are firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with no wet batter. The tops should look a little crackly and nicely browned, like this!

Tips and tricks

Before adding to the rest of the wet ingredients for the batter, inspect the brown sugar. If it has a lot of lumps, break them up first with your fingers or a fork, it will be much easier to get a smooth batter that way!

If you really like cinnamon, you can up the amount of cinnamon in the cinnamon sugar topping from 1 ½ teaspoons to a full 2 teaspoons. I made this recipe both ways, and I kind of like the lesser amount while my husband prefers the more cinnamon-y version!

To create a pleasing "ribbon" effect of cinnamon sugar running through the center of the muffin, it helps to apply the center layer of cinnamon sugar evenly across the surface of the batter, rather than just in the center. But, it will taste amazing either way so don't sweat it too much!

Recipe FAQs

How do I store these muffins?

They will keep for 2 - 3 days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container. I then like to re-heat the muffins before serving by popping them in a toaster oven for a minute or two. This helps to bring back the crispiness on the top of the muffin that tends to soften during storage.

Can I freeze cinnamon muffins?

If you want to keep the muffins for longer, you can definitely freeze them! They will keep for 2 - 3 months in the freezer. I like to wrap them individually, or store them in a zip-top bag. Here is a good resource on how to freeze muffins.

Do my eggs and milk have to be at room temperature?

For some of my baking recipes, like this one for Brown Butter Apple Muffins, I call for the eggs and milk to be at room temperature. While that certainly won't hurt anything here, I did use the eggs and milk straight from the fridge this time.

Usually adding cold milk and eggs to anything with butter will cause the batter to curdle, but since oil is used in this recipe instead, I was still able to get a smooth batter that rose well, even with cold milk and eggs.

(What do you think? Do you use room-temp milk and eggs every time you bake? I would love to know your thoughts!)

cinnamon muffins unwrapped with cinnamon in bowl on the side

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