Cinnamon Roll Muffins
These cinnamon roll muffins have a sweet cinnamon ribbon running through the fluffy, soft muffin. Drizzled with glaze, they are incredible!
All the flavors of a delectable cinnamon roll are combined into an easy-to-make muffin that is easily one of the tastiest muffins ever!
Easy Muffin Batter
The vanilla-flavored muffin batter is exceptionally simple. A very classic wet ingredients meets dry ingredients type of muffin situation.
Wet ingredients:
- granulated sugar
- melted butter (can use a neutral-flavored oil)
- eggs
- sour cream + milk (can sub in buttermilk)
- vanilla
Dry ingredients:
- flour
- baking powder + baking soda + salt
I am lazy and never whisk the dry ingredients separately before adding. But you can! The only really strict rule with these muffins (and all muffins throughout the history of time) is to mix just until combined. Don’t over mix!
Buttery Cinnamon Streusel
This buttery crumbly cinnamon streusel mixture is the heart and soul of these muffins. It adds flavor, brings the cinnamon roll vibe strongly to the table, and makes an otherwise basic muffin very special.
- brown sugar
- all-purpose flour (equal parts flour and brown sugar)
- ground cinnamon, and lots of it
- melted butter
The mixture is more dry than it is wet. This is important! The consistency helps the sweet cinnamon ribbon stay solidly in the center of the muffin and not sink to the bottom.
Assembling Cinnamon Roll Muffins
This recipe makes about 15 to 16 muffins, which will be highly annoying to some of you. I get it. Muffin recipes that fit neatly into a 12-cup muffin tin are desireable.
But I promise, baking a smaller second batch of 3 to 4 muffins is worth it for this recipe. Several recipe testing sessions failed to yield a stellar light and fluffy muffin with adaptations for a 12-muffin batch. So. This is the recipe we’ve been dealt, and we are going with it.
- For assembly, line the muffin tin with paper liners (see note in the recipe with my deep thoughts on muffin tins).
- Scoop 2 tablespoons batter into each muffin tin. A #40 cookie scoop works brilliantly here.
- Sprinkle about 2 to 3 teaspoons streusel on top of the batter.
- Scoop another 2 tablespoons batter (a heaping 2 tablespoons if using USA brand muffin tins) on top of the streusel.
- Sprinkle with a light smattering of streusel.
The cups are about 3/4 full of batter and streusel for these muffins.
They dome beautifully, and shouldn’t overflow, however, just so you don’t hate me, my disclaimer is that varying brands of muffin tins might behave differently (as well as factors like if you live at high elevation). I use the USA brand of muffin tins – can’t recommend them highly enough.
You can bake a test muffin to see if you need to make modifications for how much batter to use in each muffin cup for the remaining muffins.
Drizzle with Glaze
Once the muffins have cooled, whisk together the simple cream cheese glaze and drizzle across the top.
I think you could easily skip the drizzle and dip the top of the muffins in the glaze for a different application and effect. I’m kind of partial to the pretty stripes of the drizzle, but you do you. 😉
Lightly sweet vanilla muffin + cinnamon streusel + sweet cream cheese glaze. This is muffin perfection right here.
As the muffins bake, the cinnamon streusel layer forms a decadent path of buttery sweet cinnamon goodness trailing through the middle of the soft and fluffy muffin.
These muffins are incredible. Not overly sweet, they are wonderful for breakfast…or brunch…or after school snack. Or really anytime.
How to Store the Muffins: the glaze stays soft and doesn’t set up, so it’s best to store the muffins in a container with a lid that leaves a lot of clearance. They get a bit messy if shoved into a ziploc bag (ahem, ask me how I know)…but still taste delicious. The muffins can be stored covered at room temperature for a couple of days. The leftover muffins are fabulous warmed up for about 8 1/2 seconds in the microwave before eating.
One Year Ago: Easy Twisted Croissant French Bread
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Three Years Ago: Easy Yogurt Flatbread
Four Years Ago: Easy Homemade English Muffins {Whole Grain Option – No Mixer Needed!}
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Eight Years Ago: Double Chocolate Quick Bread
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Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream (see note)
- ½ cup (121 g) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Streusel:
- ⅓ cup (47 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (71 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) butter, melted
Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (See note for different types of muffin tins.) Place muffin liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. This recipe makes 15-16 muffins, so use a second muffin tin for the remaining muffins or bake in two batches.
- For the muffins, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla until evenly combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Don't over mix. Set aside.
- For the cinnamon streusel, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until combined and the streusel clumps into small pieces.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons muffin batter into each muffin liner (a #40 cookie scoop works great). Crumble the cinnamon streusel to break into small pieces. Sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons streusel over the batter in each muffin cup.
- Scoop another 2 tablespoons (see note) batter on top of the cinnamon streusel. Sprinkle with a bit more streusel.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the top of the muffins spring back lightly to the touch.
- Remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, in a small bowl, add the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the milk and mix until well combined. The consistency should be thick but pourable. Add additional milk (or powdered sugar) to adjust the consistency, if needed.
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cooled muffins.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
These were absolutely incredible. Very much a cross between muffin and cupcake. Followed the recipe to a T, and the overall result is *chefs kiss*
So delicious! I only subbed 1 cup of batter flour for 1 cup almond flour.
We made this into a cake (9×9) vs muffins. 28 minutes at the same temperature turned out great. It was hard to spread the cinnamon filling so I maybe would make more next time or just add a little more butter. It wasn’t very dispersed but otherwise great!
Do these freeze well?
Yes, they do – the topping softens just a bit, though.
These muffins look delicious! Could I use Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream?
Yes, that should work just fine.
Absolutely fabulous! Easy to make and they taste like cinnamon rolls.
These are beyond delicious 😋
So tasty, soft and fluffy! Yummy 🎉
Another hit, Mel 😊
Had to try these muffins because they looked delicious. Made them this morning for Father’s Day. They are so amazing. I can see why they are one of your top recipes.
Hi. I’m planning to make this recipe next weekend. Rather than use a muffin tin, can I use a 9 x 9 pan?
I haven’t tried that, Ann, so I don’t know for sure how it will work, but it is definitely worth a try!
I don’t usually comment but these muffins are really tasty 🤤 I happened to have one of the new square muffin tins worked perfectly for 12. Thanks for sharing
These muffins are so good!! They will definitely become a regular thing around here.
Easy and Delicious!! Another winner. Thanks Mel!!
My family of 4 ate all but four of these muffins the first time we made them. They are delicious!
I made enough of these to feed 44 hungry missionaries and they were heavenly. You helped make our Zone Conference extra special.
I made enough of these to feed 44 hungry missionaries and they were heavenly. You helped make our Zone Conference extra special.
Love this recipe! Just a happy little accident/realization.
With my second (leftover batter) batch, the streusel had cooled down and thus was drier. It made it easier to crumble! In the future, I’ll make the streusel first so it cools while whipping the batter.
Light, fluffy and a really great flavor – and that’s without the glaze, which I skipped because I thought the muffins were sweet enough without it. I can see how the glaze takes them to next level cinnamon roll though. Your photos, tips, and notes are helpful – thanks!
These baked up tasty.
There’s a discrepancy in the overview description and step 5 above. Step 5 says 2-3 teaspoons of streusel. The overview says tablespoons.
Like another commenter, if I make again I will double the streusel to allow for more in the center.
What makes a cupcake vs. a muffin? I think they could be dessert just as easily as a carb for breakfast/brunch. I would call these a muffcake, if that were a thing!
Thanks for pointing that out! I’ll change the wording in the post.
These were amazing! Everyone in my family loves them. I doubled the streusel and skipped the glaze. It was gone in less than 24 hours.
I cannot wait to try this recipe out as I LOVE your cinnamon donut muffins. One small suggestion: it would be very helpful and appreciated if you added the oven temp in Celsius too 🙂
**in all your [future] recipes
For anyone who wants a dairy free version, here are the alterations I made and it was still delicious!
I use vegan/vegetarian margarine for the butter, unsweetened coconut milk for the milk, vegan cream cheese (I use Vitalife and it works great for anything baking. I’ve even used it to make a dairy free cheesecake!), and for the sour cream, I used coconut cream. Now, the coconut cream can be very sweet, so I added about half a teaspoon of lemon juice to help tone down the sweetness.
They turned out fantastic and was even husband approved. 😀
That’s amazing! Thanks for detailing your dairy-free changes, Sarah!
I tried the Cinnamon Roll Muffins to the letter, however, the dough came out sticky and heavy. I managed to put into the muffin cups, cover with the streusel and then apply another layer. I didn’t make the glaze as that is too sweet for me. As my pan was a dark muffin tin, I lowered the oven to 350F instead of 375C. They came out good, but not as fluffy as they should have. I think I should wisk ALL the ingredients at once, as I first did the liquids and then added the flour dry ingredients where that’s where the dough became sticky. Any thoughts on my comments?
Hi Arlene – thanks for the comment…you could try mixing all the ingredients together. I’ve found sometimes with muffin batter, doing so might make the muffins dry or dense because it’s easy to over mix. How did you measure the flour? Do you have a kitchen scale? Wondering if adding a bit less flour might help.
My husband asked for cinnamon rolls for breakfast and this is what popped up on the page. This was such a a good muffin recipe. They are super delicious.
Thanks, Laurie! So glad you liked these!
Think turning into a loaf would work? How long would you cook it for?
Thanks!!
I think it stands a really good chance of working! I’d bake it for about 45-55 minutes.
Absolutely delightful!! Yum yum yum.
Made these after dinner for the next morning and I am afraid they may be gone before morning. Thank you Mel!
Noticed last minute that I didn’t have sour cream so we used vanilla Greek yogurt and they turned out just perfectly! For the win!
That’s fantastic that they worked out so well with Greek yogurt. Thanks for the report back!
Curious, did you cut back on any of the sugar since the vanilla Greek yogurt is sweetened?
Another winner from Mel! We made these Sunday afternoon and they were delicious! Totally have cinnamon roll vibes without the work. I bet it would even make a yummy cinnamon cake/coffee cake! We had enough left for breakfast this morning which made everyone super happy to get out of bed!
Interesting about making this into a coffee cake…hadn’t thought of that but now I want to try!!
So good! Make them today!
I haven’t seen cream cheese measured in tablespoons before, is it supposed to be 3 tbsp or 3 ounces for the glaze?
It is 3 tablespoons (not 3 ounces). Three tablespoons is 1 1/2 ounces.
Thank you!
So good! My kids love them. You get the cinnamon roll flavor without the hassle of making cinnamon rolls. Thanks Mel! I hope your son’s recovery is going well.
Made a batch of these and shared them with coworkers and neighbors – they were a huge hit! So easy to make and you get delicious layers of cinnamon and the softest muffin batter ever. I love cinnamon rolls but don’t love spending all day making cinnamon rolls so this is the perfect compromise. If the sour cream freaks you out, don’t stress. You can’t even taste it! This will become your new favorite muffin! Thanks Mel for another winner!
Thanks, Melanie! Love the review…and so happy those lucky co workers and neighbors liked these!
So delicious!! We loved it! Thank you, Mel!❤
Thank you!
I needed to make a treat for a baby shower and these were perfect. I had to make an extra batch for my family because we didn’t have any leftovers. Thank you for all the yummy recipes!
Thank you so much, Angie! These would be a perfect baby shower treat!
Yum! The whole family loved these. I made a dozen regular muffins and a dozen mini muffins with this recipe. (Just reduced the baking time for the mini muffins.) Will make again!
Mini muffins with this recipe sounds like such a fun idea. Thanks for the comments, Angi!
I will definitely make these and report back!
As a side note, I have a flip phone and I wanted to thank you for having a website that functions well on my phone’s browser! I’ve had a few different flip phones over the last 7 years or so, and this phone has the clunkiest browser yet.. but I am always able to get your website to work!
That’s good to know, Monica! Glad it works well on your phone. I’m going through a small redesign and will make sure the configurations stay the same so it continues to work well.
Yum! These are amazing!! Thank you Mel.
Thank you so much, Natasha!
These were fantastic! A total hit with our crowd. Thank you!
Glad you guys loved these, Kirsten!
The muffins and drizzle are just what I craved!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks, Leslie!
Can i make larger one’s thank you
Yes, I think this recipe would work great made into jumbo/larger muffins!
Hi Mel! I made these for my kids today (I used gluten free flour since I have a kiddo with celiac), and we all love them! My 8-year-old son said, “Who invented this recipe?” and I said, “My buddy Mel!” (We’re besties, in case you didn’t realize. ) Then he called out loudly, “Thanks, Mel!” Hopefully you heard it all the way from northern California.
Hahaha, this put a HUGE smile on my face!! I didn’t hear it all the way over here in Idaho, but I definitely feel the love. So happy these converted well to gluten free!
You might be convincing me to start baking again.
not yet but I’m gonna.
The ultimate compliment from my son — mom these muffins are something special. Thanks Mel!!! They were a hit!!
YAY!! I loved reading this. Thanks, Teri!
It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game!!!
“Can This Be Made Gluten Free?!” (insert price is right music)
Anyway. My point is. YES. IT CAN.
I tested out two different GF flours (King Arthur Measure for Measure, hereafter known as KA, and Better Batter, hereafter known as BB).
I was really expecting BB to perform better than KA did, but it most definitely did NOT. Like, the BB ones are fine, but the texture is a little odd, and the flavor isn’t as full.
The KA ones are FANTASTIC. For anyone who decides to make them with this type of flour, be prepared for the tops to not be as pretty as Mel’s. They’re a little lumpy, but my gosh are they soft and fluffy and delicious! And between the two flours, this one is muuuuch more affordable.
Mel, one of these days, I’m just gonna make my way through all your baked recipes and see what works GF and what doesn’t
Yay!!! Thank you, Sandi! I was checking all day to see if there was a gf comment. I was about to just jump in and make them with cup4cup. I’ll use King Arthur instead. Thanks for letting us know!
(And thank you, Mel, for another amazing recipe!)
I can’t tell you how delighted I am that my insane comment helped someone but now I want to try cup4cup and see what happens
Searched the comment section for “GF” to see if someone tried it. 🙂 Thanks for letting us know!
I finally made these and they were DELICIOUS! After all the gf flour fuss I made it turned out I didn’t have cup4cup or King Arthur, so I ended up using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and they turned out super well. Thanks again Mel and Sandi!
Sandi, the opening line of your comment made me laugh out loud. And your review is SO helpful for those that need GF baking advice specific to this recipe. Thank you!!
Made these today for the after school snack. They are as good as Mel says they are. Not that there was any doubt. I subbed homemade strained yogurt for the sour cream because I have more yogurt than sour cream at the moment. They turned out great!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed them!
Do do these freeze well.
They will freeze great without the glaze – I’d recommend glazing them after thawing and before serving.
Delicious! Costco had a new silicone muffin tin, so this was the perfect excuse to buy it. These took much longer to bake for me, closer to 25 minutes but they were perfect. We all preferred them without the glaze. Love your site!
I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for that silicone muffin tin at Costco!
Can I reduce the sugar in the batter to half cup?
Thanks!
Reducing any ingredient by half like that might make a difference in the end result, but it’s always worth experimenting!
I did this, but followed the rest of the recipe. It was wonderfu! New favorite
Made them as soon as I saw the recipe. They are delicious even though I misjudged the batter proportions and didn’t have an equal amount left for the top layer. Thank you for the recipe! They, in fact, taste like cinnamon rolls!
Thanks for the review, Kathy! Glad to know they worked out even with less batter on top.
These were great! Came on here to get another muffin recipe when I woke up and pivoted to these when they came up. Thanks!
You’re amazing for making them so quickly, Abigail! And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know. Glad you loved them!
Looks amazing but I wonder if after the first dollop of batter, it could be studded with a few frozen blueberries with a few more on top?
Absolutely worth a try!