Coffee Cake Muffins: Because Regular Muffins Are Boring

Okay, so here’s the thing. I’ve been making these Coffee Cake Muffins for like three years now, and I still get excited every single time they come out of the oven. Is that weird? Maybe. Do I care? Not really.

Look, I’m gonna be honest with you – I stumbled onto this recipe completely by accident. I was trying to make regular coffee cake one Sunday morning (this was back in 2022, I think?), ran out of baking pan space because I’d already used my 9×13 for… something. Can’t even remember what. Brownies? Anyway, I just grabbed a muffin tin and hoped for the best.

Best kitchen accident ever.

Why Coffee Cake Muffins Are Actually Genius

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “It’s just coffee cake in muffin form.” And yeah, technically you’re right. But here’s where it gets good – you get that amazing cinnamon streusel topping on EVERY. SINGLE. MUFFIN. Not just the corner pieces. Everyone’s a winner.

Plus, portion control? Done. No more “I’ll just cut a tiny sliver” that turns into half the cake. Been there, done that, have the regret.

My neighbor Karen (she’s the one with the really loud lawnmower) told me these remind her of something her grandmother used to make. She got all emotional about it, which was… unexpected but also kinda sweet? Now she texts me every few weeks asking if I’m making them again.

The Ingredients (AKA My Shopping Disasters)

For the Muffins:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (just the regular stuff, nothing fancy)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (I use Kerrygold when I’m feeling fancy)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk (tried almond milk once – don’t recommend)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, honestly doesn’t matter much)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• Pinch of salt (because everything needs salt)

Quick story about the streusel – first time I made this, I used melted butter instead of cold butter. Disaster. Complete disaster. It just… melted into the muffins and disappeared. My husband ate them anyway and said they were “fine,” which is husband-speak for “these are terrible but I love you.”

Use cold butter. Trust me on this one.

Let’s Make These Things (Step-by-Step, Kinda)

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Or 350°F if your oven runs hot like mine does. Actually, you know what? Just preheat to 375°F and keep an eye on them. Every oven is different and I can’t be held responsible for your particular appliance’s mood swings.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. I’ve tried going without liners. Bad idea. So much scrubbing.

Step 2: Make the streusel first because—oh wait, I forgot to mention—you need to chill it slightly. Or not. Sometimes I forget and it still works. Baking is chaos disguised as science.

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add those cold butter pieces and use a fork (or your fingers, I won’t judge) to work it into a crumbly mixture. It should look like… wet sand? Coarse crumbs? You’ll know it when you see it.

Set this aside. Put it in the fridge if you remember.

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. I know, I know, more bowls. Sorry about that. I’ve tried doing this in one bowl and it just doesn’t work as well.

Step 4: In another bowl (last one, I promise!), whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla. My 8-year-old nephew likes to help with this part because whisking is fun when you’re eight, apparently.

Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until JUST combined. This is important – don’t overmix! Last Tuesday I got distracted by a phone call and kept stirring while talking, and the muffins came out tough and sad. The key is—see those little flour streaks?—that’s okay. That’s perfect, actually.

Step 6: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. They should be about 2/3 full. I use an ice cream scoop for this because apparently I own an ice cream scoop but not a proper batter scoop. Life’s weird.

Step 7: Sprinkle that streusel topping generously over each muffin. And I mean GENEROUSLY. This is not the time to be shy. The streusel is the best part. It’s why we’re here.

Step 8: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine usually take 20 minutes exactly, but I’ve learned to check at 18 because that one time I didn’t, they got a little too brown on top.

They’ll look kinda pale at first, then suddenly they’ll puff up and turn golden. It’s like magic, except it’s just chemistry or whatever.

Step 9: Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Do NOT skip this step. I tried eating one fresh out of the oven once and burned my tongue so bad I couldn’t taste anything for two days. Not worth it.

The Variations Nobody Asked For (But I’m Telling You Anyway)

Espresso Coffee Cake Muffins: Add 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients. Game changer. These are INTENSE in the best way. My friend Sarah drinks them WITH coffee and I’m pretty sure she can see through time by 10 AM.

Cardamom Coffee Cake Muffins: Replace 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon with ground cardamom. This is chef’s kiss if you’re into that slightly floral, exotic thing. I made these for my book club once and they argued about the mystery spice for twenty minutes.

Mini Coffee Cake Muffins: Use a mini muffin tin and bake for 12-15 minutes. Perfect for people who want to eat seven muffins but feel less guilty about it. You know who you are.

Actually, you know what? I’ve also thrown in chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup) into the batter before. Not traditional coffee cake behavior, but who’s gonna stop you? The coffee cake police?

Things I’ve Learned The Hard Way

• Room temperature ingredients work better. But I never remember to take eggs out ahead of time, so I just stick them in warm water for 5 minutes. Works fine.
• You can make the streusel topping the night before and keep it in the fridge. Actually makes it easier to sprinkle because it’s really cold and crumbly.
• These freeze amazingly well. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, throw them in a freezer bag. They keep for like 3 months. I wouldn’t know because they never last that long, but theoretically they could.
• Don’t use pre-ground cinnamon that’s been in your cabinet since 2019. Get fresh cinnamon. The difference is HUGE. Speaking of which, I should probably check my own spice cabinet…
• The paper liners will stick a bit when the muffins are warm. Let them cool completely and they’ll peel right off. This took me way too many batches to figure out.

Why These Are Better Than Bakery Muffins

Okay, this might be controversial, but hear me out. Bakery muffins are usually the size of your head and filled with so much sugar you need a nap afterward. These? Perfect size. Perfect sweetness. And you KNOW what went into them.

Plus, you can eat one (or two, or three – I don’t judge) with your morning coffee without feeling like you need to run a marathon to compensate.

My husband swears these are better than the ones from that fancy bakery downtown that charges $5 per muffin. And look, maybe he’s biased, but also… he’s not wrong.

The Coffee Situation

About the name – yes, these are called Coffee Cake Muffins, but there’s no actual coffee in them. The “coffee” part just means they’re meant to be eaten WITH coffee. Which is… kind of a weird naming convention now that I think about it?

But whatever. Tradition is tradition, even when it makes no sense.

That said, nobody’s stopping you from adding coffee to them. See the espresso version above. Or just, you know, dip them IN your coffee. I won’t tell anyone.

Storage & Reheating (Important Stuff)

These keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. After that, they start getting a little dry, but honestly they usually don’t make it past day 2 in my house.

You can microwave them for about 15 seconds to warm them up. The streusel gets all melty and amazing. OR you can split them in half and toast them in a toaster oven. This is NEXT LEVEL but also makes a bit of a mess with the streusel, so maybe put some foil down or something.

Final Thoughts (Because I’m Rambling Now)

Look, I’ve made a LOT of muffins in my life. Blueberry, chocolate chip, those weird savory ones with cheese that I thought would be good but weren’t. These Coffee Cake Muffins are the ones I keep coming back to.

They’re not fancy. They won’t win any awards. But they’re reliable, delicious, and they make your kitchen smell AMAZING. Plus, people are always impressed when you show up with homemade muffins, even though they’re actually really easy to make.

If I can make these at 6 AM while half-asleep (which I have done, multiple times), anyone can make them.

So yeah. Try them. Let me know how it goes. And if you burn the first batch, don’t worry – I’ve burned more batches than I’m willing to admit, and I’m still here, still baking, still eating too many muffins.

Happy baking! (And may your streusel be crumbly and abundant) ☕