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Cinnamon Sugar Muffins Two Ways

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When I first started this blog, I had every intention of sharing recipes about sourdough…eventually. I had planned to take it slow and introduce my love for all things sourdough gradually because while I love all things sourdough, it’s not very common for a home baker and I wasn’t sure how many people would be interested in that area of bread baking. 

My sourdough starter

Fast forward a few weeks and we were at the beginning of a global pandemic with yeast flying off the shelves and food shortages everywhere. All of a sudden people showed a lot more interest in sourdough baking. Most of us are at home looking for things to do and learning to become a little more self-reliant. With this in mind (and a cancelled trip that made it possible), I upped my sourdough game and started sharing about sourdough earlier than planned. I have tutorials on my Instagram about making a sourdough starter and I have a handy worksheet that can help you make your own starter if you are interested. I’ve also got an awesome recipe that turns out some delicious sourdough bread.

One of the things that makes sourdough unique is the feeding process. You feed your starter daily (or once a week or so if it’s refrigerated) and then end up with a bunch of discard. I keep my extra discard in a tupperware in the fridge and then find recipes to make with the discard throughout the week…waste not want not! This recipe for cinnamon sugar muffins is the perfect vehicle for the sourdough discard.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins…two ways: with or without sourdough discard

I also know that not everyone has a tupperware of sourdough discard sitting in your fridge and I didn’t want you to not be able to make these delicious muffins just because of that. I have a recipe option below for cinnamon sugar muffins without the sourdough discard. Both recipes use the same technique for the cinnamon sugar topping and are equally delicious and worth making. This recipe would be a fun treat to make with kids or the perfect treat for a family brunch or breakfast. The cinnamon sugar topping makes these muffins a standout weekly breakfast or sweet snack for a day at home.

Yield: 12-14 muffins

Time: 10 minute mix, 16 minute bake

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup milk, 2% or whole preferable
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Discard Muffins

  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ⅔ cup milk, 2% or whole preferable
  • ¾ cup sourdough discard (150 grams)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

The topping is the same for both recipes, don’t forget about it! It adds a sweet cinnamon crunch to the muffins that should not be left out.

Topping for both recipes

  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 4 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a small microwave-proof bowl, melt the butter. Add the white sugar and combine with a spoon. Mix in the milk, eggs and vanilla. If you are using sourdough discard, mix it in with the wet ingredients now.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Your batter may still have small streaks of flour in it…that is okay. 
  5. Line and lightly grease 12-14 muffin tins. If you have extra muffin wells with no batter in them, fill them about ½  way full with water (this helps protect your pans and gives your muffins an even bake). 
  6. Bake for 6 minutes at 425 degrees, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 10 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the muffin and it comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the topping. Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter in a bowl. Mix together ⅓ cup white sugar with 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl. Dip the top of each muffin into the butter and then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Continue this process until every muffin in coated in cinnamon/sugar. Enjoy warm or at room temperature! Tip: I freeze any extra muffins in a ziplock bag and they work great.

Recipe Notes: Baking your muffins at a high initial temperature and then decreasing to a lower temperature gives you the beautiful domed muffins that you look for in a bakery. It’s worth it…I promise!

Please share this recipe if you enjoyed it! Post a photo and tag me @amybakesbread so I can see your bake 🙂

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10 Comments

  1. Kris Larsen

    We have loved following your baking adventures, and enjoy watching the grandkids’ involvement. These muffins look fabulous, and we can’t wait to try them…especially fun to see the grandkids dipping the tops in melted butter followed by sugar/cinnamon! Mmmmm! 🧁😋

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  6. Aileen Bluhm

    These were yummy but I would definitely decrease the baking time (which I almost always do) because they turn out dry if you bake them at 16 minutes. I would say 12-14 minutes MAX!!!

    • Thanks for the tips! Oven temperatures can vary and bake a little differently so it sometimes helps to stick a toothpick in them after 10 minutes or so to get a feel for how much longer they need. In my oven mini muffins usually take 10-12 minutes and regular sized are anywhere from 15-18.

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