MOIST Cinnamon Roll Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

These Cinnamon Roll Muffins are loaded with cinnamon flavour with a moist & light texture. They use the one-bowl muffin method of preparation & take about 30 minutes to prepare. Topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumble these muffins can be enjoyed warm with a drizzle of honey cinnamon glaze or with ice cream!

AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour
BAKING TIME: 25-30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.

If you have been on the lookout for a muffin recipe with a lovely balance of flavour and is moist and light without being dense, then this is THE recipe for you. Not only is it bursting with cinnamon flavour, it is moist without being dense like most muffins and the crunch texture of the cinnamon roll crumble makes them even more enjoyable to eat.

What to expect from this cinnamon roll muffins recipe?

One Bowl

The cinnamon roll muffin batter can be prepared using just one bowl as the ingredients have to be just whisked one by one till just combined.

Ease

This recipe was created to be an ideal muffin beginner baking recipe which will help you become a pro at making muffins even if it is your very first time doing so. It uses simple ingredients that will surely be available in your pantry, and it follows the quick bread method to prepare this thick muffin batter (more on this below).

Flavour

Imagine drinking a hot cup of tea on a cool morning that leaves you feeling oh so warm and cosy. Well, these muffins are just that. They burst with cinnamon flavour without being too strong with a hint of honey from the glaze leaving a warm feeling all over. As this recipe has a hint of honey flavours, it is the perfect homely breakfast treat.

Texture

Have you ever eaten a dense muffin which is hard to swallow? Well, this recipe is NOT that. It is moist in the centre but also light as air. The streusel topping also provides a nice crunch while the glaze makes the muffins nice & gooey.

Less sugar

These cinnamon muffins are made with the amount of sugar just needed to make the muffins moist & tender. Using less sugar prevents the muffins from being dense & also helps make the natural flavours of the ingredients shine through.

Key ingredients in this cinnamon roll muffins recipe

All-purpose flour, baking powder & baking soda

Use all-purpose flour in this recipe for a light texture. Most muffin recipes only use baking soda to help the muffin rise well. Because this recipe follows the muffin method, wherein the fat is in liquid form, it does lose the essential aeration that creamed muffin batter has. The baking powder helps achieve that aeration making them nice and fluffy.

Castor sugar & brown sugar

The sugars make the muffins tender and provide a bit of sweetness to them. Using just a little brown sugar in the recipe also makes the muffins moist without making them dense and provides a lovely crunch to the streusel topping.

Milk & yoghurt

Use a blend of milk & yoghurt to provide structure & tenderness to the cinnamon roll muffins. I found that using these two ingredients together rather than buttermilk helps give a rich flavour to the muffins.

Melted unsalted butter

Using melted butter helps tenderize the flour which prevents extensive gluten formation in the muffins as compared to creamed butter. This prevents the muffins from being dense and chewy.

Most streusel or crumb topping use creamed or cold butter to bring the ingredients together but this recipe uses melted butter as it not only becomes quicker to prepare but also gives the topping a buttery flavour.

Eggs

This recipe uses whole eggs which provides structure with a bit of tenderness to the muffins. Make sure to use fresh whole eggs while making this recipe.

Ground cinnamon and ground ginger

The muffins are loaded with lots of freshly ground cinnamon but not too much that it overpowers the other flavours of the muffins. I highly recommend using good-quality ground cinnamon and making sure to taste it before using it in case you have had it for a while because if the ground cinnamon has lost a bit of its flavour, you can add a little more of it so you don’t lose out on the flavour. I recommend using a small amount of ground ginger while making the crumble for a nice depth of flavour.

Honey

Use good-quality honey of your choice while preparing the glaze for the muffins.

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Creaming Method vs Muffin Method

Muffins can be prepared using either one of the two – creaming methods or the muffin method. For the creaming method, the butter, sugar & eggs are mixed till light & fluffy which is time-consuming & you might struggle to know when to stop especially if you are new to this.

However, the muffin method is used when the recipe consists of melted fat & high quantities of liquid. This method is easy & fast to complete as the wet ingredients and dry ingredients have to be whisked till just combined which prevents it from being dense. & heavy.

How to make the best streusel topping

Streusel topping aka crumb topping is essentially made with flour, butter, sugar and sometimes spices or nuts. For this recipe, I prepared one with melted butter, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground ginger and of course ground cinnamon.

But the truth is that as easy as it may seem, you might make a major mistake while making the crumble by adding extra melted butter only to end up making cookie dough instead.

For this reason, although I have mentioned the quantity of melted butter, make sure to

Add the butter one tablespoon or 5g at a time, and

Stir well with a fork instead of a spatula or spoon.

The butter helps bring the ingredients together and once they resemble small to medium nuggets that are not greasy, it is ready to be sprinkled onto the muffins.

03 baking tips to make the best cinnamon roll muffins

Avoid overmixing the wet & dry ingredients

When preparing the muffin batter, it is essential to only mix the batter till just combined and the dry ingredients have been just coated with the wet ingredients. As this muffin batter has a high liquid content, overmixing the batter will only make you lose all the aeration leading to thick & dense muffins.

Avoid getting rid of all the lumps in the batter as overmixing also leads to tunnelling wherein you have holes in your muffins after baking and the muffins do not have an even rise.

So, be quick while preparing these muffins and you will be a pro in literally no time.

Begin baking the muffins at a high temperature & then lower it down

Baking the muffins at a higher temperature right at the beginning helps the batter rise giving it the classic muffin dome. And once you lower the temperature the muffins bake evenly giving you gorgeous-looking muffins with a crunchy topping.

Use a fork to prepare the streusel topping

While mixing in the ingredients for the topping, I highly recommend using a fork as this helps to form crumbs easier & faster without making a dough or paste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I rest the muffin batter before baking?

During my recipe testing, I found that the muffins did rise very well without resting. So, I highly recommend not to rest the muffin batter before baking because I found that doing so did give it a nice lift but this caused tunnelling. If tunnelling doesn’t bother you, you can rest the dough for 15 minutes before baking.

How much batter should I fill in the muffin cups?

I recommend filling 65 -70 g of batter in each muffin cup as this gives a lovely dome to the muffins without it leaking onto the other muffins.

Step-by-step instructions

Preparation

Weigh & melt the butter for the cinnamon muffins & cinnamon crumble.
Divide the butter into two (quantities mentioned above.

For the cinnamon crumble –

Weigh the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and brown sugar. Stir well to combine.

For the cinnamon muffins –

Weigh the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, castor sugar & brown sugar in a bowl.
Weigh the milk, yoghurt, and eggs in three separate bowls.

For the cinnamon drizzle –

Weigh & sift the icing sugar.
Weigh the milk, honey & cinnamon in a bowl.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Preheat the oven to 225°C.