Why might my streusel topping not be as crumbly as expected?

Your streusel topping might not be crumbly if the butter was too soft when you mixed it in or if it was not kept cold enough before baking. Using cold butter and chilling the prepared streusel helps create those distinct crumbs.

Is it really necessary to let the muffin batter rest before baking?

Letting the muffin batter rest is considered a best practice and a helpful tip for achieving beautiful bakery style muffins with taller tops. The rest time allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, which creates a slightly thicker batter consistency. When the muffins bake, this thicker batter provides more structure to support a higher rise and those lovely domed tops. You are welcome to skip this step if you prefer a more standard muffin top.

Why does this recipe use two different oven temperatures for baking?

Baking muffins or other quick breads at two different temperatures is done to promote a quick rise and help set the tops. The initial high temperature encourages the batter to rise rapidly and helps form a lightly crisped golden top. Then, reducing the temperature allows the inside of the muffins to continue baking through without the tops getting too dark or the edges becoming dry. This method helps ensure the centers stay soft, tender, and fluffy while you still get a great rise and texture on top.

How long should I leave the baked muffins in the pan to cool?

You should keep the muffins cooling in the hot muffin pan for about 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven. This brief cooling period in the pan allows them to finish setting up gently. It is important not to let the muffins stay in the muffin pan for much longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Leaving them in the hot pan for too long can trap steam and moisture, increasing the chance of soggy muffin bottoms.

What is the difference between streusel, crumble, and strudel?

Streusel topping and crumble topping are essentially the same thing. They are both a sweet, crumbly topping typically made from a mixture of flour, sugar, butter, and often ground spices and salt. This topping is layered on top of various baked goods like pies, quick breads, muffins, and cakes. Strudel is quite different; it is a dessert made from a very thin, elastic pastry dough wrapped around a filling, most commonly fruit, and then baked.

Best Cinnamon Streusel Muffins Recipe (Easy & Moist!)

Name: Best Cinnamon Streusel Muffins Recipe (Easy & Moist!)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour; ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar; 1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon; 4 tbsp (60 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar; 2 tsp (6 g) ground cinnamon; 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour; 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (2 g) salt; ½ cup (120 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract; ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature; ½ cup (120 ml) milk, at room temperature

Description

These Cinnamon Streusel Muffins are incredibly moist and fluffy vanilla muffins swirled with a sweet cinnamon ribbon and topped with a generous, buttery brown sugar crumble. They taste just like classic coffee cake in a convenient muffin form and are absolutely irresistible!

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping

½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
4 tbsp (60 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Cinnamon Filling

¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
2 tsp (6 g) ground cinnamon

For the Vanilla Muffin

2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
½ tsp (2 g) salt
½ cup (120 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
½ cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature
½ cup (120 ml) milk, at room temperature

Instructions

Make the Streusel Topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon for the streusel topping in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter pieces using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand with some larger crumbs. Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the muffin batter.
Make the Cinnamon Filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and ground cinnamon for the filling until they are fully mixed.
Combine Dry Muffin Ingredients: Whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl to combine them.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Add Wet Ingredients: With your mixer on a low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the sour cream and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. The batter might look a little separated or grainy here; that is fine.
Add Dry and Wet Alternately: Gently mix the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients (dry, milk, dry, milk, dry). Mix using a flexible spatula or on the lowest mixer speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Rest the Batter: Let the muffin batter rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. This rest time helps the batter thicken slightly and promotes a better rise when baking.
Prep Pan and Preheat Oven: While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a standard 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Assemble the Muffins: Spoon a generous tablespoon of muffin batter into the bottom of each lined muffin cup. Add a heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon filling on top of the batter in each cup. Then add another tablespoon of muffin batter over the filling. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of the chilled cinnamon streusel topping over the top of each muffin, pressing it down lightly.
Bake the Muffins: Bake the muffins in the preheated oven at 400°F (204°C) for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Start checking around the 5-minute mark and continue checking every couple of minutes if needed.
Cool: Let the muffins cool in the hot muffin pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Ingredient Prep: Bring cold ingredients like butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk to room temperature about an hour before you plan to start baking. This helps everything mix together smoothly.
Mixing Tips: Avoid overmixing the muffin batter after adding the dry ingredients. Mix only until the flour streaks disappear. Using the lowest speed on your electric mixer or even stirring by hand with a spatula works best.
Storage: Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay wonderfully moist!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 320
Sugar: 28g
Sodium: 210mg
Fat: 16g
Carbohydrates: 40g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 65mg