Easy Cinnamon Swirl Muffins with Brown Sugar Streusel
Make moist, bakery-style cinnamon muffins from scratch with a rich cinnamon swirl inside and a crunchy brown sugar streusel topping. This simple recipe delivers big flavor for breakfast or a snack.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- For the Swirl: 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- For the Swirl: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- For the Streusel: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- For the Streusel: 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- For the Streusel: 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For the Streusel: 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream. Add half of the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the remaining wet mixture and mix until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
- Prepare the swirl filling: In a small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon until combined.
- Prepare the streusel topping: In another small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in the 2 tablespoons of cold butter using your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Fill the muffin cups about one-third full with batter. Sprinkle a small amount of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the batter. Top with more batter, filling cups about two-thirds full.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the tops of the filled muffins.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For the moistest muffins, use full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- If you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor, increase the cinnamon in the main batter by 1/4 teaspoon.
- These sweet cinnamon breakfast muffins are best eaten within two days but store well in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg