Our cinnamon streusel muffins are everything you want from a bakery-style muffin - soft, fluffy and loaded with cinnamon in every bite. These homemade cinnamon muffins are made with sour cream and buttermilk for an extra tender crumb, then topped with a buttery, crunchy streusel that bakes up perfectly on top.
There are sweet cinnamon chips folded into the batter and a ribbon of cinnamon and sugar running through the center, so every bite delivers triple cinnamon goodness. If you've been looking a muffin recipe that tastes like it came from your favorite coffee shop - this is the one.
These moist, tender muffins are perfect for lazy Sunday mornings with coffee or as a sweet afternoon treat any day of the week. If you love a good streusel topped muffin, be sure to check out our hazelnut and chocolate filled Nutella Muffins or our light and fluffy blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins.
Quick Look: Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Ready In: about 30 minutes
- Makes: 12 bakery-style muffins
- Calories: 307 kcal per muffin
- Add to Your Shopping List: cinnamon chips, buttermilk and sour cream
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy and eggs
- Baker's Note: Cinnamon chips can be hard to find - check the baking aisle near the chocolate chips or order online - Hershey's and King Arthur both make them.
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What Makes These Cinnamon Streusel Muffins So Yummy
The secret to a truly great muffin is the technique - and this recipe uses a few that make a real difference. The combination of sour cream and buttermilk is the first one. Sour cream adds richness and fat that keeps the muffins tender for days. The buttermilk's acidity works with the baking soda for a better rise. Using both is what gives these muffins that bakery-style texture you can't get from milk alone.
The two-temperature bake is the second technique that makes a real difference. Starting at 425° for the first five minutes creates a quick burst of steam that pushes the muffins up fast, creating that tall, round top. Dropping to 375° for the rest of the bake time lets the centers cook through without burning the streusel. It's the same technique professional bakers use.
And the cinnamon chips - don't skip them. They make a good cinnamon streusel muffin great! As the muffins bake, the chips melt into little pools of flavor throughout the batter. Paired with the streusel ribbon in the center, they're the reason every bite actually tastes like cinnamon.
These muffins will remind you of the Costco cinnamon chip muffins, this recipe is a homemade version - topped with our homemade streusel topping and has that same soft, tender crumb and pockets of melted cinnamon throughout.
Key Ingredients
cinnamon chips - a special ingredient that sets these muffins apart! Hershey's makes cinnamon chips that add sweet bursts of flavor throughout the muffin. Look for them in the baking aisle near chocolate chips, or order them online.
unsalted butter - adds moisture and flavor to the muffin batter
sour cream - adds additional flavor and moisture to the muffin batter
buttermilk - guarantees moist muffins with delicious flavor - if you don't have fresh buttermilk in the refrigerator, check out our buttermilk substitutions below.
Substitutions and Variations
Sour Cream - you can replace the sour cream with your favorite vanilla or plain greek yogurt
Substitutions for Buttermilk
Buttermilk Powder - available in your local grocery store or online, simply follow the instructions on the can to make your own buttermilk at home.
Milk and Lemon Juice or Vinegar - combine 1.5 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar with ½ cup of milk. Whisk until well combined and use in place of buttermilk in the muffin recipe.
Gluten-Free Streusel Muffins - swap out the all purpose flour for your favorite gluten free flour blend - I've had good luck with both Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure. If you are looking for a gluten-free muffin recipe tested with gluten free ingredients, check out our Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Add Nuts - mix in ½ cup of your favorite nuts - you can use pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. Be sure to toast the nuts at 290° for 10 minutes before adding to the muffin batter.
No Cinnamon Chips? - if you can't find them, you can leave them out and the muffins will still be delicious. You can add an extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the muffin batter or try making your own homemade cinnamon chips.
How to Make Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
Combine the softened butter, flour, sugars and cinnamon. Mix with a fork until crumbly and well combined. Save for when you are putting the muffin batter together.
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a large measuring cup, combine the liquid ingredients and whisk until well combined.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold until just combined. Fold in the cinnamon chips.
Fill each muffin cup ½ way with the batter. Top with one teaspoon of the streusel topping.
Cover the streusel mix with an additional scoop of muffin batter.
Add a teaspoon of streusel topping to the top of each muffin. Gently press the streusel into the top of each muffin so that it sticks.
Bake muffins at 425° for five minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375° and bake muffins for an additional 12-13 minutes. Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cook slightly before serving. Drizzle muffins with the vanilla glaze and enjoy.
Amanda's Top Tips For Baking Muffins
Use a cookie scoop - Use a cookie scoop and make it easy to add the batter and streusel layers to the muffin pan. I actually like to use two for this batch of muffins, one for the muffin batter and another for the streusel mixture.
Bake muffins at a higher temperature for the first five minutes - Bake the muffins at 425° for the first five minutes of baking - this creates lots of steam and the muffins that have nice height and while staying light and fluffy on the inside.
Don't over mix the batter - Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until the batter just comes together. There may be some visible flour and few lumps in the batter - that's okay. You'll get that mixed in when you add the cinnamon chips. Over mixing the batter can cause the gluten in the flour to develop and your muffins to be chewy, dense and dry.
Room temperature ingredients work best - Room temperature ingredients lead to better overall structure of the batter. Cold milk, butter, sour cream and eggs won't blend smoothly into the batter. Pull everything from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Press streusel gently so it sticks - Gently press the streusel topping into the top of the muffin batter - this helps prevent the streusel from falling off as the muffin rise in the oven.
Bake in every other mold - When making in a 12 cup muffin tin, arrange the cupcake liners in every other mold. Surrounding each muffin with heat instead of cold batter helps them rise taller and bake more evenly.
Fill the cups generously - Fill each muffin cup nearly to the top - this is how you get those tall, bakery-style muffins.
Storage
Room Temperature: Store baked muffins and the glaze separately at room temperature. I like to keep them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 3 days. The sour cream and buttermilk keep these muffins moist for a couple of days.
Refrigerator: If you've added the vanilla glaze, you can store the muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature or warm slightly (microwave for 10-15 seconds) before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Freezer: These muffins freeze beautifully! Skip the glaze and wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, then place them all in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat from Frozen:
- Remove the plastic wrap and warm the microwave for 30-45 seconds
- Or thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes
- Once the muffins are warm or defrosted, drizzle with the vanilla glaze
Pro Tip: Freeze the muffins and the glaze separately. This prevents the glaze from becoming soggy on top of the muffins and allows you to drizzle fresh glaze on after reheating for that just-baked taste.
Make Ahead: The streusel topping can be make up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The muffin batter can be made the night before to save time in the morning.
Cinnamon Streusel Muffins FAQs
Yes! These muffins are essentially a homemade version of the Costco cinnamon chip muffins, with the small soft texture and melted cinnamon chips. The difference is the streusel ribbon in the center and the sweet vanilla glaze on top - these are true bakery-quality muffins.
Yes - these muffins will still be delicious without the cinnamon chips. Add an extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter to make up for the flavor or try making your own homemade cinnamon chips.
This could be a few different things. First, make sure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Second, don't skip the two temperature bake - the initial blast at 425° is what creates steam and pushes the muffin tops up. Finally, try the every other mold trick from the tips section above - surrounding each muffin with heat instead of cold batter helps them rise taller. These are important baking tips that I recommend in all of my muffin recipes.
Other Recipes Topped With Streusel
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Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Equipment
- small mixing bowl
- large mixing bowl
- large glass measuring cup
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- fork
- muffin pan
- spatula
- large cookie scoop
Ingredients
For the Streusel (you'll use this for the middle of the muffins and for the crumbly topping)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ⅛ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Muffins
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup cinnamon chips
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
For the Streusel (you'll use this for the middle of the muffins and for the crumbly topping)
- Combine the softened butter, flour, sugars and cinnamon Mix with a fork until crumbly and well combined. Store the streusel in the refrigerator while you are mixing up the muffin batter.¼ cup unsalted butter , ⅛ cup sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Muffin Batter
- Preheat oven to 425°. In a small mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for a few minutes.½ cup unsalted butter
- Line your muffin pan (12 cups) with cupcake wrappers.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large measuring cup, combine the cooled butter, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.½ cup sour cream , ½ cup buttermilk , 2 large eggs, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be sure not to overmix.
- Gently fold in the cinnamon chips.½ cup cinnamon chips
- Use a large cookie scoop to add batter to the muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup half way.
- Place a teaspoon of the streusel on the first scoop of muffin batter. Top with another scoop of batter.
- Place a spoonful of streusel topping on the top of each muffin. Press down just a little bit so that the streusel sticks to the batter.
- Bake muffins at 425° for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375° and bake for an additional 16-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middles are baked through.
- Remove muffins from the oven and allow the muffins to cool.
For the Vanilla Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a measuring cup. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle vanilla glaze over muffins and enjoy.1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoon milk
Britt says
These are delicious and perfect for Sunday morning breakfast.