These cinnamon roll muffins are soft and fluffy with a delicious cinnamon swirl on top. No yeast and no proofing since they're made just like muffins! They're perfect for when you want the flavour of a cinnamon roll without the extra work.
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I've seen cinnamon roll muffins made by baking actual yeasted cinnamon rolls in a muffin pan but that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted something that was as easy to make as a muffin but was reminiscent of the flavours of cinnamon rolls.
Thus, these cinnamon roll muffins were born. I guess you could call them cinnamon muffins or cinnamon sugar muffins but I think they're just a little more than that. And they have the signature swirl of cinnamon sugar on top to set them apart!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These cinnamon roll muffins have the taste of cinnamon rolls but they're much easier and quicker to make.
- The muffin batter bakes up with fluffy and high muffin tops.
- They're so delicious with vanilla and cinnamon-brown sugar flavours.
- These muffins are so soft and fluffy, as muffins should be!
Tools
- Muffin pan - Any standard 12-muffin pan will do.
- Tulip muffin liners - I'd recommend using tall, tulip muffin liners rather than standard muffin liners. They hold the batter in so that your muffins can rise nice and tall. Plus, they make your muffins look like they came from a bakery.
- Piping bag - You'll need this to pipe the cinnamon-sugar swirl on top of the muffins. If you don't have one, you can also use the corner of a ziploc bag.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - For the muffin batter, you'll need melted butter. For the cinnamon swirl, you'll need softened butter at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg - This should be at room temperature so that it combines seamlessly with the rest of the ingredients.
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk makes baked goods super soft and also helps them rise due to its acidity and reaction with baking soda. This should also be at room temperature to prevent the butter from solidifying into little clumps upon contact with cold buttermilk.
- Brown sugar - The mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon is exactly what goes into classic cinnamon rolls and gives these cinnamon roll muffins the same kind of taste.
- Ground cinnamon
How to make cinnamon roll muffins
For the muffin batter
Prep - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners, leaving every other hole empty (use 6 liners for a 12-muffin pan). Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk until combined.
Fold dry into wet mixture - Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until just combined. Don't overmix. Set this batter aside to thicken while you make the cinnamon paste.
For the cinnamon swirl
Mix paste - In a small bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a spatula to mix them together until it becomes a very smooth and soft paste. If your butter is slightly hard, use a fork to smush it against the bowl until it becomes creamy.
Fold into batter - Add half of this paste to your batter and briefly fold it in with a spatula a few times just until it's swirled into the batter but not thoroughly mixed.
Transfer - Transfer the other half of the paste to a piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag off for a small ¼" opening. Set aside.
Fill muffin pan - Fill your muffin liners all the way full with muffin batter. The batter should dome slightly above the surface of the pan. Tall muffin liners will prevent the batter from spilling over. I used an ice cream scooper to distribute the batter evenly, using about 6 tablespoons of batter for each muffin.
Pipe cinnamon swirl - Push the very tip of the piping bag with your cinnamon paste directly into the surface of the muffin batter. Pipe a swirl of cinnamon paste on the surface of the batter, with the tip of the bag slightly dragging through the batter so that the swirl sits flush with the batter rather than sitting on top of the batter. Repeat with the rest of the muffins.
Bake - Bake the muffins for about 20-25 minutes or until the tops are puffy and golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before lifting them out. Let them cool on a wire rack or enjoy them warm!
Storage
These cinnamon roll muffins can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days.
For the best results, reheat them in the microwave and enjoy them warm.
Freezing
You can freeze these muffins by storing them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freezing them for up to 1 month.
Thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for several hours. Reheat them in the microwave and enjoy them warm.
Tips for success
- Use room temperature ingredients. If a recipe indicates that the ingredients should be at room temperature, it really does make a difference in the consistency of the batter and in the final baked goods. Room temperature ingredients are easier to mix and blend together better without curdling.
- Use tall, bakery-style muffin liners. Or make your own by cutting squares of parchment paper and pressing them into the muffin pan, pressing down all the seams and folds to help it stay in shape. Once you add the batter, it will hold the liner down in the pan. Tall muffin liners help hold the batter in for taller, puffier muffin tops. The batter won't rise out of the pan and burn on the edges, like with regular cupcake-style liners.
- Use more batter for taller and puffier muffins. The key to bigger bakery-style muffins is to simply use more batter for each muffin. Using tall muffin liners allows you to fill the pan with more batter than normal.
- Pipe the cinnamon swirl into the surface of the batter, not on top of it. You want the cinnamon swirl to be surrounded by muffin batter on all sides which will help hold the swirl in place during baking. If the cinnamon paste is sitting on top of the batter, it will just melt and spread itself over the entire top of the muffin during baking. This is fine and tastes the same but you just won't be able to see the pretty swirl on top of the muffins.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can. Alternating the muffins in the pan allows more airflow around the muffins and gives them more room to rise and puff up and out. You can still make a full pan of muffins without any issues if you use tall muffin liners. If you use regular cupcake-style liners, the muffin tops will likely spread into the muffins adjacent to them.
Yes! You can make a buttermilk substitute by weighing out about 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice and adding milk until the total weight reaches 175g. Stir it together and let it sit for 5 minutes until thickened and curdled. I would recommend using at least 2% milk or whole milk to match the fat content of buttermilk.
More muffin recipes to try
Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Muffins
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 90 g unsalted butter, melted
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 175 g buttermilk, room temperature
Cinnamon Swirl
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Muffin Batter
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with tulip muffin liners, leaving every other hole empty (use 6 liners for a 12-muffin pan). Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk until combined.
- Fold dry into wet mixture: Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until just combined. Don't overmix. Set this batter aside to thicken while you make the cinnamon paste.
Cinnamon Swirl
- Mix paste: In a small bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a spatula to mix them together until it becomes a very smooth and soft paste. If your butter is slightly hard, use a fork to smush it against the bowl until it becomes creamy.
- Fold into batter: Add half of this paste to your batter and briefly fold it in with a spatula a few times just until it's swirled into the batter but not thoroughly mixed.
- Transfer: Transfer the other half of the paste to a piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag off for a small ¼" opening. Set aside.
- Fill muffin pan: Fill your muffin liners all the way full with muffin batter. The batter should dome slightly above the surface of the pan. Tall muffin liners will prevent the batter from spilling over. I used an ice cream scooper to distribute the batter evenly, using about 6 tablespoons of batter for each muffin.
- Pipe cinnamon swirl: Push the very tip of the piping bag with your cinnamon paste directly into the surface of the muffin batter. Pipe a swirl of cinnamon paste on the surface of the batter, with the tip of the bag slightly dragging through the batter so that the swirl sits flush with the batter rather than sitting on top of the batter. Repeat with the rest of the muffins.
- Bake: Bake the muffins for about 20-25 minutes or until the tops are puffy and golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before lifting them out. Let them cool on a wire rack or enjoy them warm!
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