Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

When it comes to breakfast-y and brunch-y foods, I tend to forget about muffins. Maybe it’s because when I have breakfast or brunch at a restaurant, I tend to skip over the muffins because they’re usually dry or packaged preservative-filled jobs and if skipping the muffins means more of the good stuff, that’s what I do.

But it’s hard to beat a freshly baked homemade muffin. Plus, they’re quick, easy, can be made in advance (at least a little bit) and this Cinnamon Streusel Muffin recipe keeps the mess to a minimum.

To make the muffins, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, table salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped pecans, vanilla and almond extracts, an egg, buttermilk (or plain kefir), and cooking oil (I used to use canola in cases like this, but I use peanut oil these days.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin wells with liners. Set aside.

Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts.

Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract, and oil.

Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling about 1/2 full. Set aside.

To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Takes about 30 minutes, start to finish–can’t beat that!

 

 

Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

5 from 4 votes
These tender cinnamon streusel muffins are quick to whip up for breakfast, brunch, or as a sweet snack.
Prep Time 7 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 26 minutes
Servings12 muffins

Ingredients

Muffin Batter

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon table salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • â…“ cup cooking oil

Streusel Topping

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 ½ tablespoons flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tablespoons butter softened to room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400℉. Line 12 muffin wells with liners. Set aside.
  • Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
  • Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling about ½ full. Set aside.
  • To make the streusel topping, combine the ¼ cup sugar, 2½ tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 278mg, Potassium: 80mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 92IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast and Brunch, Quick Breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Calories: 239kcal
Cost: $5
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

Read More

Join The Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Questions & Reviews

  1. Same with me, whenever I am on my phone the pin option is gone. If I use my tablet or computer it’s there.

    1. Yes…although I’ve tried it both ways and even though I’m not normally a fan of nuts in my baked goods, the nutless ones felt like something was missing.

  2. Please not peanut oil, so many children are allergic to peanuts!!! I am not sure anyone would even think that these delicious muffins could/would have peanut oil in them.
    Thank you!!!!!

    1. I wouldn’t make them with peanut oil for anyone with a peanut allergy (or for, like, public even). But for my family? Absolutely.

  3. I have been using avocado oil for all my baking and frying lately. I love it!! It has a very high heat tolerance and we have never been able to detect any avocado flavor in the food. I’m going to make these muffins tomorrow!

  4. The ingredients photo turned into a video of Belle and the Beast dancing for a few seconds (ad). That was fun–excited for the movie! Can I make these and hide them in my purse to eat during the movie? Does subliminal message advertising work?? 😉

  5. This is a shockingly reasonable muffin recipe! The majority of recipes I’ve seen have about 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of oil, and the muffins come out the size of a bowling ball. This looks right up our alley, especially with the crunchy stuff on top. Saving this for the weekend! Thanks!

  6. Would I have to adjust anything if I added finely shredded zucchini or apple, or even carrot to these? Or dare I say, a mix of the three?? = )

    1. You might want to toss them in 1-2 tablespoons in flour before mixing them in, but otherwise, nope! 🙂 Let us know how it goes!

  7. 5 stars
    I made these for an after school snack today and they were a hit! I love that I always have these ingredients on hand, too!

    Thanks for a quick and easy winner!

    1. Not dumb at all! It’s just a good, neutral vegetable oil that’s also good for frying, so it’s what I keep around. Canola used to be “the one,” but it’s kind of come under fire in recent years for doing more harm than good (when people used to say that it was a great heart-healthy oil) and it also smells fishy when it reaches high cooking temps. But really, any vegetable oil will do the trick.