I just love this coffee cake muffin recipe.
Muffins are such a wonderful treat. They are sweet without being cake-like, but still enough to satisfy that urge for something sweet.
Muffins like this coffee cake recipe are perfect as a breakfast recipe with a piece of cheese or some yogurt.
They also make a great lunch with a salad. Of course muffins are also perfect to just snack on.
I love having a batch or two of my favorite muffins in the freezer, ready to just take out and warm up whenever I want a treat.
A great coffee cake muffin with a hot cup of tea and a good book. That’s my idea of a wonderful relaxing moment in my day.
Muffin recipes with cinnamon in them are a real favorite for many of us and this one won’t disappoint.
I also love the wonderful cinnamon and brown sugar topping on coffee cake and the crunchy nuts added on top. That nice and sweet streusel mix.
Here is how to make it:
How to Make Coffee Cake Muffin Streusel
My coffee cake muffin recipe makes great muffins. The best part though? That crunchy topping, called streusel.
The streusel topping on these muffins is a simple mixture of brown sugar, nuts, a bit of flour and some cinnamon. Plus of course a bit of melted butter.
The mixture adds SO much to these muffins. A great sweet topping, with the warmth of cinnamon and the crunch of nuts.
I usually use chopped walnuts here, but you can easily use pecans as well. They are both perfect and will add a wonderful crunch to the muffins as well as added nutrition.
I always make the streusel first and set it aside. Then it’s ready to go when the muffin batter is done.
To make the streusel just chop 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans. Add them to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
Cinnamon is such a sweet and tasty spice. It’s perfect for all sorts of baking and is pretty much an essential ingredient in many coffee cake recipes.
It’s certainly the perfect spice for these muffins.
Add in 2 teaspoons of melted butter. The melted butter brings all of the other ingredients together and allows it to stick nicely to the top of the muffins.
It also adds the slightest crunch to the muffins when they are baked.
So that’s it – just 5 simple ingredients and your streusel is ready.
You can use this streusel recipe to top other muffins and breads too. Cinnamon coffee cake, banana bread or muffins, blueberry muffins – the list goes on.
Once you know how to make this streusel, I think you will find all sorts of great uses for it. I would even use it to top oatmeal! Yum.
Muffin Tip
Any time you make muffins, there is really only one thing you need to keep in mind.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed in with the wet ingredients, just mix them together enough to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Don’t beat the batter as you might with some cake mixes. That doesn’t work for muffins.
Over mixing your muffin batter can result in muffins that are a bit tough, not those gorgeous tender muffins we’re hoping for.
If you mix your batter together so that everything is just mixed, not beaten, you’ll end up with great muffins each time you bake.
I have added the option of cinnamon chips in the batter. The batter already has cinnamon in it, but for those who are real fans of cinnamon, the added chips might be just what you want.
I am not eating dairy right now, so I have to find a dairy alternative. I have found that most muffin recipes work well with either almond milk or oat milk used as a substitute for the cow’s milk.
Actually I say most muffin recipes, but I have been using almond milk or oat milk for all of my muffins for over a year now and they have come out perfectly. So I would say go ahead and substitute, although I can’t vouch for soy or hemp milks because I haven’t tried them.
If you are lactose intolerant, but can drink goat milk, that’s a wonderful substitute too. I use goat milk in a lot of recipes where I used to use cow’s milk. They are very similar.
I hope you enjoy these tender, flavorful muffins.
Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe with Streusel Topping
Equipment
- 1 12 cup muffin tin
Ingredients
For the Streusel:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts, or pecans, chopped
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons butter, melted
For the Muffins:
- 1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, softened, or coconut oil (in solid form)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk, or milk alternative
- 1/2 cup cinnamon chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
For the Streusel Topping:
- Combine the brown sugar, chopped nuts, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon and butter and set aside.
For the Muffins:
- Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl - the 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter or coconut oil until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Combine the egg and milk and pour into the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.
- Grease muffin pans or line with paper cups. Filling the muffin cups 2/3 full.
- Bake the muffins at 375°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Makes 12 muffins.
Notes
Nutrition
Browse all of my muffin recipes here.
Subscribe to the site (it’s Free!) and never miss a great recipe.
Like this recipe? I’d love you to share it on your favorite social media. Click on the image below to add this recipe to your Pinterest favorites. Thanks so much.
You can make these muffins gluten free by switching out the flour for an all-purpose gluten free flour blend. Use your favorite.