Cinnamon Roll Muffins

This one goes out to my mother. She’s the lady who despises cooking but against her wishes finds herself in charge of Christmas breakfast more often than not. So instead of the cinnamon rolls that she normally tries to turn out for the big occasion, those cinnamon rolls that require yeast and rise times and rolling pins, I offer these Cinnamon Roll Muffins.

These Cinnamon Roll Muffins require much less of a time commitment, but one sweet bite and I think you’ll agree that they make a pretty impressive substitute for standard cinnamon rolls.

These fluffy muffins are filled with cinnamon swirls and topped with a vanilla icing. They look just like cinnamon rolls, but in a muffin form.

I have to confess, I’m pretty pleased with how these turned out. They are so darn cute. I had a picture in my mind when I started making these and to my delight, they came out just as I wanted them too. That doesn’t happen often.

These aren’t quite as heavy and cinnamon rolls and are much easier to make too. You can make everything without a mixer.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Crumble

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard size muffin tin with parchment paper liners and spray each one with nonstick spray for baking.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Gradually mix the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring gently and being careful not to overmix.
5. In another bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter and stir until evenly mixed and crumbly.
6. Fill each muffin well with batter until it is 1/3 full.  Add 1 heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon crumble mixture and spread evenly.  Add another scoop of muffin batter, and then top with another heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon crumble.  The muffin well will be full.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean, and the muffin edges are a light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before icing.
8. To make the cream cheese icing, whisk softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth.  Spoon into a plastic zip top bag or piping bag.  Cut off a tiny piece of one of the bottom corners of the bag and pipe a swirl on the top of each muffin.  Store in an airtight container.

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