Healthier Cinnamon Roll Muffins
The classic flavor of cinnamon rolls in the form of a super fluffy muffin. It has a cinnamon sugar filling swirled into the batter and they're just the right sweetness. These are so much easier to make than regular cinnamon rolls, and you can make them in just around 30 minutes.
Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
Cinnamon sugar filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup almond flour see above in the post for substitutions
- 1/2 teaspoon water
Muffin batter
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or substitute all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla glaze (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease generously.
Make the cinnamon filling
- In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and almond flour. Once combined, add the water and stir until it forms a mixture that can stick together but is not liquid. Set aside.
Make the muffin batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar and melted butter. Then add the eggs one at a time, whisking in between each addition until fully incorporated. Then whisk in the greek yogurt until mixture is very smooth. Finally, add the milk and vanilla extract and whisk until everything is combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. If batter seems too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
Assemble and bake the muffins
- Add roughly 2 tablespoons of the batter to each muffin cup. Then spoon on about 1-2 teaspoons of the cinnamon filling mixture. There should be some left over for the top. Then cover each muffin with the remaining batter. Use a toothpick or skewer to gently swirl the batter with the cinnamon filling. Finally, top each muffin with the remaining cinnamon filling mixture. See notes for instructions on how to make a more defined cinnamon swirl.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 14-17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Once done baking, remove from oven and let rest the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While muffins cool, prepare the vanilla glaze, if using. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Once the muffins have cooled to room temperature, drizzle on the glaze. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!
Notes
If you want a more defined cinnamon swirl on top of the muffins, add 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of water to the remaining cinnamon mixture. It should be a paste with a pipeable consistency. Then transfer to a small ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Then pipe a swirl on top of each muffin using the cinnamon filling.
I like to use a simple vanilla glaze for these muffins because it's so easy to make. If you want to make a cream cheese frosting, you will need:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract