Treat yourself to these amazing Coffee Cake Muffins … with their tasty Cinnamon Crumb Topping and sweet Vanilla Glaze, they’re perfect for breakfast or brunch!
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Are you looking for an impressive, yet simple breakfast or brunch recipe?
Then, you have to try my easy Coffee Cake Muffins! These yummy muffins are such a treat.
Moist, tender muffins piled high with cinnamon crumbs and drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze … it really doesn’t get much better!
Coffee Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
Have you ever had coffee cake? If not, you may be surprised to learn that it doesn’t actually contain coffee. Just putting that out there so there are no surprises here … ha ha.
It’s basically a sweet cake that’s meant to be paired with coffee, hence the name. And there’s only one thing better than coffee cake, and that’s these scrumptious Coffee Cake Muffins!
If you like New York-style coffee cake with its thick layer of crumbs, then you’re going to adore these muffins. Basically mini coffee cakes, these sweet muffins are all about their amazing, decadent Cinnamon Crumb Topping. You are going to LOVE these muffins!
And I’m going to sweeten the deal! If you love muffins as much as I do, then you’ll be happy to know that I’m celebrating Muffin Week with a group of my fave food bloggers. We’re bringing you muffin recipes all week! You’ll find the full spread of savory, sweet, healthy and indulgent muffin recipes at A Joyfully Mad Kitchen. Head on over to check them out!
How to Make Coffee Cake Muffins
These crumb cake muffins are super simple to make … don’t let the somewhat-long ingredient list fool you! You probably have everything needed in your pantry.
The Cinnamon Crumb Topping is the star of the show here. You’ll prepare it first, so it has a chance to firm up while you work on the muffin batter.
To make the topping, you’ll mix together sugar (a combination of granulated and brown), cinnamon, and salt, then stir in melted butter, and finally, flour. That’s all there is to this tasty topping.
Set this mixture aside while you prepare the muffin batter.
Tricks for Making Moist Muffins
Next, you’ll prepare the batter. I have a couple tricks that make these muffins exceptionally moist and tender.
Like most muffin recipes, you’re going to combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Then, you’ll use a spatula to fold the wet and dry ingredients together.
Make sure to use a super light hand when combining the wet and dry ingredients … fold, do not stir, and stop as soon as everything is combined (a few spots of flour are fine). Excessive stirring will cause gluten to start forming, which will lead to a tough muffin. We want tender muffins, so be gentle!
This recipe also uses a combination of flour and cornstarch, instead of all flour. The cornstarch lightens up the recipe and also help prevent gluten from forming. If you have cake flour on hand, then feel free to use all cake flour (2 cups total) and skip the cornstarch.
The final thing that makes these muffins deliciously moist is all the fat. We’re indulging a bit here, and the combination of rich butter and creamy, tart sour cream give these muffins their perfect texture, as well as that yummy New York-style coffee cake flavor.
Assembling the Muffins
Spray your muffin pan (these Wilton pans are great) with nonstick spray, than line the pan with cupcake liners (I LOVE these non-stick parchment cups). By the way … this recipe makes 16 muffins. So if you only have a standard pan, then bake them in batches.
Fill the liners 2/3 full with the muffin batter. If you’re anything like me, you have a tendency to overfill when making muffins. Don’t do it. You need to leave room for those delicious crumbs!
Crumble the Cinnamon Crumb Topping over the muffins using your hands, pressing it gently into the batter as you do. There is A LOT of crumb topping … pile it on. Trust me, you want to use it all.
Bake the muffins just until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
Adding the Vanilla Glaze
The sweet Vanilla Glaze is the last step when making these crumb muffins.
This glaze couldn’t be easier to prepare. Simply mix together a little powder sugar, milk (I prefer to use whole milk), and vanilla until totally smooth.
Then drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins (let them cool 10 to 15 minutes first). I used my fave decorating bulb for this, and it makes the process quick, neat, and easy. A spoon works, too, though.
These muffins are quite tasty even without the glaze. So feel free to skip it if you’re in a hurry.
Okay, have I made you hungry yet? I kind of wish I could reach into these photos and take a bite, don’t you?
Pair these mouthwatering crumb cake muffins with a cup of coffee, and you have breakfast. They’d be the perfect partner for my Cinnamon Brown Sugar Coffee by the way!
Planning a brunch? Serve the muffins with fresh fruit for a simple meal or add some other treats, like my Mushroom Kale and Cheddar Quiche, Breakfast Enchiladas, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches, Mexican Baked Eggs, or Old Bay Roasted Potato Wedges. (Okay, now I’m really hungry.)
However you serve them, these crave-worthy Coffee Cake Muffins are sure to become a favorite recipe!
Treat yourself to these yummy Coffee Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping ... they're perfect for breakfast or brunch!
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
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Stir in butter.
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Mix in flour, stirring until well combined. Set aside.
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Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Then line the pan with cupcake liners.
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Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
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Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, then fold together with a spatula until just combined. Do not over mix.
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Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Do not overfill; you should have 16 muffins total.
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Crumble crumb topping over muffins, gently pressing it into the batter.
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Bake muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Bake the muffins in batches, if needed.)
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Let muffins cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
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While muffins are cooling, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
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Drizzle glaze over muffins, then serve. Enjoy!
Store leftover muffins in an air-tight container or freeze until ready to eat.
Love these Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins?
If you enjoyed these breakfast muffins, then check out these recipes which also pair well with coffee:
Looking for more breakfast ideas? I’ve rounded up 45 amazing breakfast and brunch recipes here.
And don’t forget to head over to A Joyfully Mad Kitchen for more Muffin Week recipes!
What is your favorite kind of muffin?
Mmmm look at all that crumble on top! Muffins with crumble on top are my favorite. These are a must make for me!
Thanks, Jenna! That crumble is the BEST 🙂
These wouldn’t last long at my house!
They are definitely addictive! 🙂