Fluffy muffins with a moist crumb and loads of warm flavor? Sign me up! This cinnamon muffins recipe is one for your regular autumn rotation if you’re looking for a treat that encapsulates fall without needing to turn to pumpkin spice. They’re sweet enough for a midday snack, but light enough to enjoy for breakfast with a hot drink.
I love whipping up a batch of these quick cinnamon-scented muffins when I have guests over. The no-fuss batter comes together with humble pantry ingredients and no special baking equipment: You just need a few bowls, a whisk, and a muffin tin for this easy recipe! For more tasty muffins you can nibble on for breakfast, try my pumpkin muffin recipe, recipe for bran muffins, and easy oatmeal muffins.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Sugar — I used granulated sugar, but you could use a mixture of granulated and brown sugar for more moisture and a rich caramel-like flavor.
Leavening — baking powder helps the muffins rise.
Spices — plenty of ground cinnamon and a hint of ground nutmeg are used to flavor these muffins.
Milk — I used whole milk, but 2% milk would work as well.
Butter — melted butter adds moisture to the muffins. You need unsalted butter for this recipe, but if you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the amount of salt by about ½ teaspoon so your muffins don’t turn out salty. You can also use vegetable oil in the batter.
Eggs — they need to be room temperature, so set them out of the refrigerator about an hour before you start these easy cinnamon muffins.
Vanilla extract — choose a good vanilla extract, not vanilla essence (which is synthetically flavored)
Cinnamon sugar topping — granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted unsalted butter are all you need. You must use unsalted butter for this part or the muffins will be more salty than is desirable.
How to Make Cinnamon Muffins
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
4. Grease a non-stick 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. You could also use muffin liners instead of greasing the pan. Divide the muffin batter among the muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake the cinnamon muffins for 20 minutes at 350°F or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
5. Make the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. While the muffins are still warm, brush the tops with melted butter.
6. Dip the top of the muffins generously in cinnamon sugar. The butter will help it stick to the muffins. Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Measure the flour. Using too much flour can result in dry, dense muffins. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour with a spoon in its bag or container, sprinkle it into a measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Don’t scoop directly from the bag, as you will likely end up using too much flour.
- Use freshly grated nutmeg. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but I find that freshly grated nutmeg has a superior flavor to the pre-ground kind. And since you only need a little, it takes just a few seconds to do!
- Room temperature eggs and milk are a must. Room temperature ingredients will give you a smooth batter and fluffy muffins, as they are easier to incorporate than cold ingredients.
- Use muffin tin liners. If you don’t want to deal with greasing the muffin pan and worrying about whether the muffins will stick, use muffin cups instead.
- Don’t over-bake the cinnamon muffins. They are ready the moment a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Overbaking will make them dense, dry, and chewy.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are three main tips for moist, tender muffins every time. Firstly (and perhaps most importantly), do not use too much flour. That will yield dry, crumbly muffins. Measure your flour with a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement. Next, don’t over-mix the muffin batter. Once the ingredients are just incorporated and no dry streaks of flour remain, the batter is ready. Lastly, don’t over-bake the muffins. In my oven, 20 minutes is the perfect amount of time to bake cinnamon muffins. Some ovens run colder or hotter, so check on the muffins about 15 minutes in to make sure they aren’t already done.
This cinnamon muffin recipe is a great “blank canvas”, so to speak. While they are wonderful as is, you can add a variety of mix-ins to change their flavor. For apple cinnamon muffins, add 1 cup of diced apples to the batter. You could also add your favorite berries or raisins. Throw in a handful of chocolate chips into the batter for a cinnamon twist on chocolate chip muffins. For crunch, you can’t go wrong with chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. You could even forego the cinnamon sugar topping and replace it with a simple streusel topping, like in these blueberry muffins.
Leftover muffins keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature, and 5 to 6 days in the refrigerator. I like to line the container with paper towels to absorb the excess moisture the muffins release as they sit and prevent them from getting soggy.
Yes, you can freeze these muffins. Place the muffins on a baking tray and freeze them for an hour or two, until solid. Transfer the muffins to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. To protect the muffins, wrap each one in a layer of plastic wrap before placing them in the container. Thaw them at room temperature for a few hours.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this cinnamon muffins recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cinnamon Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup milk (180mL)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (83g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (75g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
For the Muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling about each about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
For Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the warm muffins with butter and dip generously in cinnamon sugar. Let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Measure the flour. Using too much flour can result in dry, dense muffins. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour with a spoon in its bag or container, sprinkle it into a measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Don’t scoop directly from the bag, as you will likely end up using too much flour.
- Use freshly grated nutmeg. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but I find that freshly grated nutmeg has a superior flavor to the pre-ground kind. And since you only need a little, it takes just a few seconds to do!
- Room temperature eggs and milk are a must. Room temperature ingredients will give you a smooth batter and fluffy muffins, as they are easier to incorporate than cold ingredients.
- Use muffin tin liners. If you don’t want to deal with greasing the muffin pan and worrying about whether the muffins will stick, use muffin cups instead.
- Don’t over-bake the cinnamon muffins. They are ready the moment a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Overbaking will make them dense, dry, and chewy.
