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Home » Recipes & Tips » Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins

04/05/22 | Bread, Breakfast, Recipes & Tips

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Cinnamon muffins are so easy to make and full of pockets bursting with cinnamon flavor. Great for a snack or breakfast on the go, these muffins keep well and can be frozen for later! #muffins #homemade #cinnamon #cinnamonmuffins #baking #bakingday #bakingmuffinsCinnamon muffins are so easy to make and full of pockets bursting with cinnamon flavor. Great for a snack or breakfast on the go, these muffins keep well and can be frozen for later! #muffins #homemade #cinnamon #cinnamonmuffins #baking #bakingday #bakingmuffins

Cinnamon muffins are so easy to make and full of pockets bursting with cinnamon flavor. Great for a snack or breakfast on the go, these muffins keep well and can be frozen for later.

Close-up of a cinnamon muffin.

It is no secret that we love muffins in our house, and this cinnamon muffin recipe is one of our favorite recipes (along with these easy blueberry muffins).

Cinnamon Muffins Recipe Ingredients

For the Muffins, you will need:

  • Granulated sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Milk
  • Vinegar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Large eggs
  • Vanilla extract

For the streusel topping, you will need:

  • Brown sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cinnamon
  • Butter

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

Measuring cup with white sugar next to a measuring cup with brown sugar, next to a bowl with cracked eggs next to a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon on a countertop.
Streusel ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, flour) in a small glass bowl.
A ice blue kitchen aid hand mixer just beginning to mix the dry ingredients for cinnamon muffins.
Scraping the dry ingredients to the edge of the glass bowl with a blue spatula to form a well for the wet ingredients.
Pouring vinegar into milk to make buttermilk.
Pouring an egg into the other ingredients for cinnamon muffins.
Ice blue kitchen aid hand mixer mixing up the batter for cinnamon muffins.
A hand placing clumps of the strussel topping onto the cinnamon muffin batter already portioned in a muffin tin.
Top view of 6 cinnamon muffins next to two halves of cinnamon muffin.

How to make Cinnamon Muffins

For the Muffins

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and grease a muffin tray well or line it with paper liners.
  2. In a bowl, combine your milk and vinegar and allow it to rest for a couple of minutes to thicken.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set it aside.
  4. After your dry ingredients are mixed up, make a well in the center with a spatula or spoon. Forming a well to put the wet ingredients (the milk mixture, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract) into makes it easier to incorporate them gradually, minimizing lumps in your batter. 
  5. Mix to combine but do not overmix. This could definitely be done by hand with a whisk. I was just excited to use my new ice blue kitchen aid mixer. *affiliate link
  6. Divide the batter evenly between about 15 muffin cups, filling each one about ¾ of the way full.
Close-up of a cinnamon muffin broken in half, showing the gooey cinnamon center.

For the Streusel

  1. After you have the batter ready, it’s time to make the streusel topping. This topping is what creates those delicious pockets of gooey cinnamon butter within the muffin.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. 
  3. Add in the butter and then mix until combined. It should be sticky and lumpy.
  4. Drop the streusel in smaller portions over the top of the batter in the muffin tins, gently pressing it down into the batter to get it to adhere to the muffin tops.
  5. I just pinch off small portions and lay them on top of the portioned batter in the muffin tin. I push a few down deeper than others, you could even layer it halfway in the batter if you wanted.
  6. I like putting it all on top because I don’t want it to sink down in the bottom of the tin. I find that it burns easily when it reaches the bottom of the muffin tin. You can see in this picture how it melts pretty far down into the muffin just by being set on top anyways.
  7. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean or with just a few crumbs.

Cinnamon Muffin Recipe Substitutions

Buttermilk vs DIY buttermilk

  • The secret to getting a nice soft crumb on these cinnamon muffins is using vinegar to make your milk into buttermilk. You can, of course, just use buttermilk. But I never have that on hand, and this is just so easy. As a general rule, replace 1 tablespoon from 1 cup of milk with vinegar for a good buttermilk substitute.
  • If you wanted to you can easily omit the vinegar in this recipe and just use buttermilk in place of the milk. This will save you a few minutes of prep.

Oil vs Butter

  • Using oil will give these muffins a lighter texture, especially if you keep them for a few days. Butter will be slightly denser and dry out more quickly over time. 

Tips for Cinnamon Brown Sugar Muffins

  • A word of caution – these cinnamon muffins come out of the oven looking MESSY. You’ll be able to see it in the video. If you want to avoid such a mess, only fill the muffin cups up 2/3 of the way. I like a bigger muffin though so I just go for it and the mess doesn’t bother me.
  • I also like to swirl the cinnamon crumb mixture into the muffins by using a toothpick so that the cinnamon flavor gets deeper into every muffin but this is an optional step and isn’t really necessary.

Cinnamon Muffin Recipe FAQs

Why are my muffins dense or rubbery?

If you overmix your batter after the flour has been added you will overdevelop the glutens in the flour while releasing air from the batter which as a result will give you a more dense or rubbery textured muffin. To avoid this simply mix the batter just enough to incorporate the flour to the point where no more flour streaks remain.

What does buttermilk do in muffins?

Buttermilk helps to provide a depth of flavor thanks to the tangy creamy taste it brings to the table. It also helps to create a richer texture and thanks to the added fats it helps your cinnamon sugar muffins to stay moist for days.

What makes a muffin moist?

While oil can help keep muffins moist, the way they are mixed and baked is more critical. Do not over mix muffins after the flour is added. Once the flour is added, mix the batter until it is just combined. When baking, bake them until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it.

How do you make muffins fluffier?

Letting all the muffin ingredients come to room temperature before baking will make them fluffy. The balance of flour and the leavening agent will also impact how fluffy a muffin is.

What does brown sugar do in muffins?

Brown sugar can add richness to muffins. In this recipe, brown sugar is used in the cinnamon mixture.

Storing Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins

How long are cinnamon muffins good for?

These muffins can last about 3-5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. This should give you plenty of time to enjoy them and if desired you can simply pop them into the microwave for 10-15 seconds to recreate that fresh from the oven taste.

Best way to store Cinnamon Muffins

The best way to store cinnamon muffins is in an air-tight container or zipper-top bag.

Can Cinnamon Brown Sugar Muffins be frozen?

Yes. Cinnamon brown sugar muffins can be frozen. Place them in a single layer in a zipper-top bag or airtight container and place in the freezer.

If you’re looking for another delicious cinnamon recipe, check out this recipe for Cinnamon Coffee Cake!

Top angled view of 6 cinnamon muffins on a counter top.

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Close-up of a cinnamon muffin.
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Cinnamon Muffins

Cinnamon muffins are so easy to make and full of pockets bursting with cinnamon flavor. Great for a snack or breakfast on the go, these muffins keep well and can be frozen for later!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword brown sugar cinnamon muffins, cinnamon muffins
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 15 muffins
Calories 267kcal
Author Alli
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Equipment

  • Redmond Real Salt
  • Muffin Tin

Ingredients

For the Muffins

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk less 1 tablespoon
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar white or apple cider
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter, see note
  • 2 eggs large
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Strussel

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons butter
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the Muffins

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
  • Combine milk and vinegar and let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the thickened milk mixture, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.  
  • Mix until just combined, do not over mix.
  • Divide batter evenly among about 15 muffin cups, they will be 3/4 of the way full.

For the Streusel

  • Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. 
  • Add the butter and mix until combined, it will be sticky and lumpy. 
  • Drop small portions of the streusel over the top of the batter in the muffin tins, gently pressing it down into the batter (see note).
  • Bake at 425 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

Video

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Notes

Using oil will give these muffins a lighter texture, especially if you keep them for a few days. Butter will be slightly more dense and dry out more quickly over time. 
If the cinnamon sugar mixture isn’t pushed down into the batter enough it can melt and run off the top of the muffins. 

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 128mg | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @longbournfarm or tag #longbournfarm!

Comments | 16 comments

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Sage & Brown Sugar Glazed Whole Ham »

Comments

  1. Ashley says

    March 15, 2023 at 6:57 AM

    1 star
    Every single one of my muffins burned on the bottom. I’m so sad! I am a very competent baker and I was so bummed because they are all ruined. I usually bake muffins at around 350 or 375 so maybe this was just way too hot. They also seem over-baked on the inside. Otherwise, the tops looked beautiful.

    Reply
  2. www.wonderfulcook.com says

    December 29, 2022 at 8:17 PM

    My whole family loves muffins. Can’t wait to try it out next week! Look so tasty and I’m sure the kids will love these.

    Reply
  3. TK says

    October 5, 2022 at 8:33 AM

    3 stars
    While the muffins did come out moist, the topping overflowed a little too much onto my pan, hardening it and also on the muffins, even though I did press down topping into the muffin. I was also hoping for a stronger cinnamon taste. Maybe mixing the topping into the muffin would do that.

    Reply
    • Alli says

      October 5, 2022 at 9:18 AM

      Hi, thank you for this feedback! I’ve updated the recipe card to be more clear on how much to push down the cinnamon sugar topping, the post outlines tips regarding this issue a few times in the text.

      Reply
  4. Lorraine says

    September 2, 2022 at 12:15 PM

    Can I use becel instead of butter for these cinnamon muffins ? Thanks 😊

    Reply
    • Alli says

      September 6, 2022 at 10:08 AM

      Hi Lorraine, I’m not sure because I’ve never tested that in the recipe, but if it’s just for the streusel topping I think it should work out fine.

      Reply
  5. Ann says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:40 PM

    Can I make this without vinegar?

    Reply
    • Alli says

      August 31, 2020 at 9:01 PM

      You can use buttermilk in place of the regular milk + vinegar combo.

      Reply
  6. Kim says

    March 11, 2020 at 11:57 AM

    5 stars
    Made these for my birthday breakfast and they were delish! My topping didn’t really sink into the batter either, but they still tasted yummy.

    Reply
    • Alli says

      March 13, 2020 at 9:30 AM

      So glad you liked them, Kim!

      Reply
  7. Carol says

    November 9, 2019 at 8:01 AM

    Wondering what I did wrong. Couldn’t get the topping to stick together like yours, so it just sat on top of muffins even though I tried to poke it down. .Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Alli says

      November 9, 2019 at 9:05 PM

      Hi Carol, I just swirl mine in with a toothpick but it should be fine if it stays on top as well.

      Reply
  8. Alli says

    February 23, 2018 at 11:53 PM

    5 stars
    My husbands favorite muffin recipe!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Banana Nut Muffin Recipe • Longbourn Farm says:
    September 28, 2022 at 10:43 PM

    […] Cinnamon Muffins […]

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  2. How To Cook Zucchini On The Stove • Longbourn Farm says:
    July 14, 2022 at 10:12 PM

    […] How to Make Cinnamon Muffins […]

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  3. The Best Homemade Bread Recipe • Longbourn Farm says:
    July 28, 2020 at 8:57 PM

    […] Cinnamon Muffins […]

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Hi, Friend!


Alli Kelley is an Agriculture focused entrepreneur. She runs a successful food blog, a consulting and coaching business, and all the social media connected with an online presence.

She also owns and operates a small, diversified farmstead where she enjoys home improvement projects, experimenting in the garden, creating profitable mini businesses on the farm, and of course, riding her big grey horse, Zane.
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