Easy Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

I found this amazing recipe at Tasty Kitchen. It was posted by Lemanda.

These blonde beauties are fantastic. They’ve received rave reviews over at Tasty Kitchen too. What I love about them is how simple and fast they whip up. A few basic ingredients work their magic to create warm-cinnamon- sugared-bliss.

I tweaked Lemanda’s recipe just a wee bit with my usual modern twists. I coat the muffin tops with a combination of regular white sugar and Sugar In The Raw. This gives the tops a pleasant sugar-cookie-crunch and a naturally delicious taste.  I also use strong Vietnamese cinnamon because it’s the best on the market.

These muffins remind me of snickerdoodle cookies, only I like these better. I highly recommend using good quality cinnamon and crunchy, molasses-like Sugar In The Raw. If you want to get real fancy, make my vanilla sugar and add it to the batter and to the muffin tops. My vanilla sugar recipe link is on the sidebar.

Be warned. They’re moist, homey and incredibly hard to resist. Brew some coffee and bake some today!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffin Recipe

(minimally adapted from Lemanda’s Recipe posted on Tasty Kitchen)

Makes 12 muffins

Some Notes

Make sure you don’t over bake these muffins. They don’t brown when they’re done. They remain blond in color. They should take about 15-18 minutes to cook. In my oven they take 17 minutes.

Don’t fill the muffin tins all the way to the top and you should end up with 12 muffins.

Coat the tops of each muffin in a combination of regular white sugar and natural  Sugar In The Raw.  Sugar in the Raw is found in most supermarkets.  The sugar crystals aren’t stripped of any color or flavor, giving it a natural taste. If you’re feeling decadent, you can coat the entire muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

I use Vietnamese cinnamon in this recipe too. Vietnamese cinnamon is the strongest, richest, and sweetest cinnamon around  It is so strong, that in most recipes it should be cut back by about a third, but it is perfect used full strength in any recipe where cinnamon is the main delicious flavor, like this one. I find it at Penzey’s Spices. 

The cinnamon-sugar topping is the star here. So go for the best cinnamon you can find. Regular cinnamon works just fine too. 

These muffins are freezer friendly. For breakfast or a snack on the go, you can take them directly from the freezer and pop them in the microwave for a few seconds.  They’re also delicious warm from the oven. 

Ingredients

1-3/4 cup flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg from a whole nutmeg (optional but good)

1/4 teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon or your favorite cinnamon (see notes)

1/3 cup corn oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of white sugar or my vanilla sugar (see notes)

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

For The Topping:

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup of Sugar In The Raw (see notes)

1/2  tablespoon of Vietnamese cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Serve sprinkled with more Vietnamese Cinnamon

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease muffin tin

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl.

Combine the oil, white sugar, egg, vanilla extract and milk in another bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Don’t over-mix.

Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for about 15-18 minutes. The muffins will remain blond in color when cooked.

The topping:  As the muffins are baking, melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the white sugar, the Sugar In The Raw, a pinch of salt and  1/2 tablespoon of Vietnamese cinnamon in a bowl. While they’re still hot, remove the muffins from the pan. Dunk the tops of the muffins in the melted butter and then dip into and coat the tops with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve sprinkled with more cinnamon on top.

Bon Appetit