Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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Cinnamon streusel muffins are ready in just 35 minutes! This recipe creates moist muffins that are topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel. They are sure to be a fan favorite at your weekend brunch, while equally delicious as an on-the-go snack. Easily make these vegan or gluten-free, too!

This cinnamon streusel muffin recipe goes above and beyond! There is just something about that brown sugar crumble over top of moist muffins that has me making this recipe again and again.

The cinnamon adds an element of warmth and comfort, pairing perfectly with a warm cup of coffee or tea. Plus, my kids love the soft texture and sweetness of the muffins – so everyone wins!

With just 15 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of bake time, skip the coffee shops and make these homemade cinnamon streusel muffins instead! After one bite of these fluffy muffins, they are sure to be your new favorite thing! 

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

• Quick & Easy: These muffins are an easy breakfast, snack, or dessert! They are made in less time than traditional coffee cake, but still have the same comforting flavor.
• Kid-Friendly: Kids will absolutely love these tasty muffins with their sweet cinnamon streusel! Serve alongside fresh fruit or a wholesome smoothie for a well-rounded meal.
• Crowd-Pleaser: These streusel top muffins are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser! Whether you’re hosting a brunch or making breakfast for the family, you’ll quickly find that the crumb topping and cinnamon swirl base make these irresistible.
• Meal Prep: You can make a double batch of muffins and freeze some to have on hand for busy mornings!

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🥘 Ingredients

These muffins with crumble topping come together with simple ingredients for the perfect combination of taste and texture. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the nutritional values!

• Streusel Topping: You’ll combine flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter for a delicious streusel topping that makes these the best ever cinnamon streusel muffins!
• All-Purpose Flour: This cinnamon crumb muffin recipe uses classic all purpose flour for the traditional muffin texture that we all know and love!
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent gives these muffins their fluffy texture, helping them rise and expand while baking.
• Butter: Unsalted butter provides the fat content that is needed in this baked good. It adds flavor and helps create a tender muffin.
• Sugar: Muffins are best with a touch of sweetness, which you’ll get thanks to the granulated sugar!
• Eggs: Using eggs in muffin batter provides structure and texture. It also helps create the tall muffin tops!
• Salt & Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract and salt enhances the flavors of the cinnamon crunch muffins, adding a comforting taste.
• Buttermilk: The buttermilk adds moisture and richness, while working with the baking powder to produce the fluffiest of muffins.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Flour: Whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or gluten-free flour can be used in place of the all-purpose flour. If using almond flour, I recommend mixing it with another gf flour like oat or coconut flour for the best texture.
• Butter: You can use vegan butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil in place of the regular butter.
• Sugar: Sweeten these cinnamon crumb muffins with maple syrup or coconut sugar as an alternative to regular sugar.
• Eggs: Flax eggs, chia eggs, or applesauce would work as a substitute here.
• Milk: You can use whole milk, low-fat milk, or any non-dairy milk in this cinnamon swirl muffin recipe!

🔪 How To Make Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

This cinnamon streusel muffins recipe comes together in a few simple steps, which you can easily follow along with below:

For The Streusel

Preheat Oven & Mix Streusel: Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl combine all of the muffin streusel topping ingredients except the butter. Whisk to combine. 

Add Butter: Pour the melted butter into the flour mixture and mix well. The muffin crumble topping is ready when it’s crumbly and sticks together when squeezed. It should have a similar consistency to wet sand. Place in the fridge while preparing the muffin batter.

For The Batter

Combine Dry Ingredients: To prepare the muffin batter whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.

Beat Butter, Add Egg & Vanilla: Add the softened butter and sugar to the large bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Next, add one egg at a time along with the vanilla extract, beating until well combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. 

Add Milk & Dry Ingredients: Start off by adding half of the buttermilk and then half of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Gently mix until just combined.

Finish Muffin Batter: Then, mix in the remaining buttermilk and dry ingredients until just combined. Set aside.

Start To Assemble Muffins: Sprinkle a teaspoon of the streusel topping over the base of each muffin liner.

Add Batter: Fill the cupcake liners half way with batter. Sprinkle another teaspoon of streusel mixture.

Finish Assembling: Cover the filling with another scoop of batter.

Add Final Layer & Bake: Finish by adding a final layer of ​​crumbly streusel topping on the top of each muffin. Bake muffins once the oven temperature has reached 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Let Cool: When cooked, remove from the muffin pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

💭 Expert Tips

• For Best Results: 
  • Use room temperature ingredients – no cold butter needed in this recipe.
  • Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing will result in a tough and chewy muffin.
  • Beat the butter until light and fluffy. This may take between 2-4 minutes.
• Alternative Tools: If you don’t have a stand mixer you can use an electric mixer.
• Keep Oven Closed: Avoid opening the oven before the cooking time has been completed.
• Toothpick Test: To test the muffins, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean then it is cooked. If it has batter on it, extend the time by 5 minutes.
• Even Scoops: Use a cookie scoop to scoop out even amounts of batter into each of the muffin liners! This will result in the best cinnamon streusel muffins!

📖 Variations 

• Cinnamon Apple Muffins: Mix in diced apple pieces to the batter for a fun variation to this recipe! The apples pair so well with the cinnamon flavor.
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins: Add some pumpkin flavor using canned pumpkin puree in the batter. Use ¼ cup of pumpkin puree in place of each day in the recipe for sweet muffins with a touch of Fall!
• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Muffins: Use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, adding healthy whole grains to this recipe!
• Mini Muffins: Add the batter to a mini muffin pan for bite sized snacks! Keep in mind, you will need to adjust the baking time, as they will cook faster. Remove the muffins from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
• Glazed Muffins: Instead of making the streusel topping, make a vanilla cinnamon glaze with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and water.
• Add Protein: Mix in your favorite protein powder for a boost of protein content in these brown sugar and cinnamon muffins. You will need to add a couple tablespoons of milk to keep these moist and tender.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

While these cinnamon muffins with crumb topping are perfect on their own for an easy snack or dessert, you can also serve them along with other foods! I love to pair the muffins with fresh fruit and nut butter for a hearty, balanced breakfast! Here are a few more ideas: 

• With Breakfast Foods: Crumble the muffin on top of a banana smoothie bowl or pumpkin spice oatmeal for a fun, tasty breakfast! You can also simply pair the muffins with an apple carrot smoothie or breakfast fruit smoothie.
• For Dessert: Level up this cinnamon crunch muffin recipe, making an indulgent dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. Add a dollop of white chocolate hazelnut spread or pair with a scoop of caramel nice cream.
• With Warm Drinks: These are basically coffee cakes in muffin form! Pair with a cup of coffee or a fun drink like this lavender latte.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

These cinnamon muffins with streusel topping are made using standard baking ingredients, but this easy recipe is adaptable to meet dietary needs. Try out the vegan or gluten-free option below:

• Vegan Option: Create vegan buttermilk by using a non-dairy milk, adding a tbsp of lemon juice. Set aside for a few minutes before combining with other ingredients. Swap the eggs for flax eggs and use vegan butter in the streusel.
• Lower Sugar Option: Feel free to reduce the sugar in this recipe by half for a lower sugar option. The muffins won’t be as sweet, but will be much healthier!
• Gluten-Free Option: Substitute the flour with an all purpose gluten-free flour mix or oat flour to make these gf cinnamon muffins with crumble!

🫙 Storage Directions

• Refrigerating: Place leftover brown sugar cinnamon muffins in an airtight container or wrapped securely in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: You can freeze the muffins in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. Allow the muffins to thaw before reheating.
• Reheating: Reheat the streusel topped muffins in the oven or toaster oven for 5 minutes until warm. Alternatively, microwave the muffin for about 15-20 seconds.

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📋 Recipe Card