A warm muffin fresh out of the oven is without a doubt one of my favourite breakfasts. These breakfast muffins are moist and fluffy with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping! Packed full of orange, spices, dried fruit and pepitas, these breakfast muffins are the best way to start your day.
They also make a fabulous lunch-box treat for kids and adults alike, and freeze well. So what are you waiting for? Head to the recipe below to get started.
Ingredients in Breakfast Muffins
For the Muffins
- Plain / all-purpose flour
- Baking powder: NOT baking soda. Make sure it is in-date.
- Ground mixed spice: CA/US can substitute with pumpkin pie spice
- Ground cinnamon
- Toasted pumpkin seeds / pepitas: adds a delicious crunch and texture to the muffins. You can also use your favourite nuts, toasted and finely chopped.
- Sultanas: you can substitute the sultanas with ¾ cup of any combination of dried fruit (currants, raisins etc.), or omit them entirely.
- Canola oil: or any flavourless vegetable oil.
- Brown sugar, loosely packed
- Eggs
- Buttermilk: essential to a light and fluffy muffin. You can make your own by combining regular (or alternative) milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
- Orange, zested and juiced
For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Plain / all-purpose flour
- Caster sugar/ superfine sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsalted butter: or salted, but will be less sweet.
How to Make Breakfast Muffins
I'll take you through how to make these muffins in three parts: the muffins, the streusel, and assembly. Trust me, this recipe is super easy and quick. You can even get your kids to help you in the kitchen for this one.
Making the Muffins:
- Sift together flour and spices. Stir in sultanas and pepitas.
- Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined - don't overmix!
Making the Streusel:
- Stir together flour, sugar and cinnamon.
- Rub in the butter until the texture resembles fine breadcrumbs
Put it altogether:
- Distribute batter among muffin tins.
- Top with streusel.
- Bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Storing Breakfast Muffins
How do I store the muffins?
You can keep the muffins un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
How do I freeze the muffins?
To freeze the cooked muffins, allow to cool completely then place in zip-loc or freezer bags. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my muffins dense/dry/chewy?
There may be a couple of reasons why your muffins have an unfavourable texture or flavour. Firstly, make sure that your ingredients (especially your self raising flour) are in-date. Out of date ingredients may stop your muffins from rising or give them a poor flavour.
Also ensure you are correctly measuring your dry ingredients: I use a knife-and-spoon method where you spoon the dry ingredients into a measuring cup (don't pack down) then level with the back of a butter knife. Too much or too little flour will give you dense muffins.
Lastly, make sure you bake your muffins for the correct amount of time. If your oven runs hot or has hot spots, reduce the cooking time accordingly. Rotate your muffin pan halfway during cooking, if necessary. Overcooked muffins will be dry and chewy.
My streusel isn't coming together
Continue to rub the butter into the flour. The warmth of your hands should incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients.
If you live in a cold environment or the butter isn't mixing well with the dry ingredients, you can use a food processor to blitz all of the streusel ingredients together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Make sure your butter is cold, not melted or room temperature.
Can I use gluten-free flour?
Yes, substitute self-raising flour with an equal amount of high quality gluten-free self-raising flour.
Variations
Want to change things up? You can mix and match ingredients in this breakfast muffin recipe according to your taste preferences. Try:
- Fresh berries: use fresh or frozen berries instead of sultanas for a fruity burst of flavour.
- Change the spices: try using a dash of ginger or allspice to give an earthier, spicier flavour.
- Add chocolate chips: add choc chips for a rich and chocolatey flavour.
- Chocolate drizzle: bake the muffins without streusel, and instead drizzle over melted chocolate.
Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins
These heavenly breakfast muffins are soft and fluffy with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. These muffins are full of orange, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds and spices. They are guaranteed to get you out of bed in the morning!
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 2 cups (300 g) plain flour
- 3 teaspoon (12 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) ground mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (70 g) toasted pumpkin seeds / pepitas
- ¾ cup (98 g) sultanas
- ¾ cup (188 mL) canola oil
- 1 cup (175 g) brown sugar, loosely packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (125 mL) buttermilk (see notes for alternative)
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- ⅓ cup (50 g) plain flour
- ½ cup (120 g) caster sugar / white sugar
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon
- 60 g unsalted butter (2 oz / ¼ cup), cold and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease a 12-hole (⅓-cup-capacity) muffin pan or line with paper cases.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, mixed spice and cinnamon. Stir in pumpkin seeds and sultanas. Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil, brown sugar, eggs, milk, vinegar, orange zest and juice.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into the well and fold altogether until the batter is just combined. It will be quite a runny batter.
- Make the streusel: in a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and the butter is well incorporated. If you pinch some streusel between your fingers, it should hold its shape.
- Distribute muffin batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the muffins un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze the cooked muffins, allow to cool completely then place in zip-loc or freezer bags. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk: Stir together ½ cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until lightly curdled. Use as required.
- Oil: you can substitute canola oil for any type of vegetable oil. Note that if you're using a rich olive oil it may change the flavour of the muffins.
- Sultanas: you can substitute the sultanas with ¾ cup of any combination of dried fruit (currants, raisins etc.), or omit them entirely.
- Pumpkin seeds: you can substitute the pumpkin seeds ½ cup of your favourite nuts (roasted and finely chopped), or omit them entirely.
Measurements
- Please note that my recipes are measured in metric cups and spoons which are larger than US cups and spoons. Most recipes will be fine if measured in US cups and spoons, but please use the weight (grams) measurement for the most accurate result.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 MuffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 455Total Fat: 23.5gSaturated Fat: 5.3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 30.8mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 53.4gFiber: 2gSugar: 34.2gProtein: 10.1g
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