Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Dainty morsels of goodness, these Cinnamon Roll Muffins are a delicious way to start the day.

Over the summer, I taught several week-long cooking camps. We started out each week getting to know each other, talking about basic kitchen rules and hygiene, the importance of measuring ingredients properly and following recipes, and then each day, we would make a few recipes together. Towards the middle of the week, once the kids had a handle on measuring and following directions, I would give them copies of the recipes and they were on their own.

Giving kids a recipe and letting them do it all by themselves from start to finish is a big thing, both for me AND for them. Yet it really was amazing to watch them … figuring things out as they went along … but most importantly, seeing their confidence shine when they realized that they made something amazing ALL BY THEMSELVES. The pride when they told their parents what they had made, and shared the finished product at the end of the day was awesome to watch.

I mean, look at those faces above! That says it all right there.

I’m a big fan of making a batch of muffins over the weekend so the kids have a great grab-and-go breakfast for our busy mornings during the week, and these Cinnamon Roll Muffins were perfect, and one of the recipes my campers made over the summer. Nick loves cinnamon rolls, so he got a little of that flavor with these muffins, and Madeline doesn’t love cinnamon rolls, but does like muffins. Which means I managed to satisfy both of them with one easy recipe.

Twenty minutes from start to finish, using basic ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen, these muffins are light, slightly sweet, and perfect for a quick breakfast or afterschool snack.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
1 egg
1 cup milk (plus more as needed)

Topping and Filling
1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
3 tablespoons melted butter

Frosting
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
dash of vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg mixture, stirring only until just combined.

Combine all the topping/filling ingredients. Gently fold half of the mixture into the muffin batter.
Spoon the muffin batter, about ¼ cup, into each muffin tin. Top with remaining brown sugar mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven. Cool slightly, then transfer carefully to a wire rack.

Whisk together all of the frosting ingredients. Drizzle over the top of the muffins.