Truth be told, we had a really hard time coming up with a name for these Sugar-Top Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins. The name I settled on is a mouthful, but there was no other way to describe the delicious flavors inside the muffin itself and the buttery, sweet sugar sprinkle on top of the muffin. Bottom line…they’re a sweet, delicious treat…for breakfast.
We, and by we I mean my husband, came up with some pretty wacky names for these little guys… mysterious names like “Magic Muffins” and way-too-long names like “Scintillating Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins with Sugar Topping” and its-really-late-just-name-them-already names like “Cinnilla Muffins.” That last one made me laugh out loud.
They look like muffins, but truly taste like little cinnamon-sugar donut holes. Low-in-sugar and added-whole-wheat-flour donut holes! They are also incredibly moist and soft, even though they’re egg-free. And the little brush of melted butter on top? More moisture and more flavor.
If you ever had cinnamon-sugar toast as a kid (raise your hand), these Sugar-Top Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins will bring you back.
Oooooweeeee…you’re in for a treat!
Little Hands Can…
- Measure all dry and wet ingredients
- Whisk ingredients together
- Line muffin tin with paper liners (if using)
- Help scoop muffin batter into muffin tin
- Brush melted butter on top of baked muffins
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of muffins
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup oil (vegetable, olive or coconut oil)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, milk, oil, syrup, yogurt and vanilla.
- Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Scoop muffin batter into a greased (or paper-lined) muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ full.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes for mini muffins; or 17-18 minutes for regular-size muffins
- Let muffins cool slightly in the pan before moving them to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
- While muffins are still slightly warm, use a pastry brush or small spoon to brush the top of each muffin with a little melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Eat immediately or let cool completely and store for 2-3 days in a covered container. You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.
Recipe inspired by Baker by Nature
A few side notes…first, these little muffins are easy to freeze for a quick breakfast or snack. Just place the cooled muffins in a freezer bag, laying flat on a sheet pan, and freeze until firm. When ready to eat, pull a few muffins out to thaw on your counter, or in the microwave.
Second, these muffins call for 1 cup of applesauce, which makes them moist without having to use extra oil. This is a great chance to use your Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce. If you buy some applesauce at the store, PLEASE read the label! Just the other day I was looking at some jars of applesauce in the grocery store and found a few brands that listed “high fructose corn syrup“ as the second ingredient. What is that doing in applesauce?! Applesauce should just be made with apples…no need for any added sugar and definitely no need for high fructose corn syrup. Read those labels!
On the Side
Looking at all of the ingredients in these little muffins, I noticed that we had three very distinct color groups. So with this recipe, we’re learning about sorting…color sorting!
As children explore their world, they begin to notice things that are alike and things that are different. In their heads, or maybe in actual practice, they start to sort things by color, shape, size, etc. Sorting, by definition, is separating objects into groups according to their similarities. With sorting and classifying tasks, children are beginning to develop early math skills for learning more challenging math concepts later on.
For this activity, ask your child to look at the ingredients you used to make the Sugar-Top Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins. What colors do you see? How can we group these ingredients together?
How else could you sort these ingredients? Dry and wet? Soft and sticky? Ingredients we can eat by themselves and ingredients that need to be mixed with other ingredients?
Let’s get sorting!
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Carol says
January 22, 2016 at 7:18 AMHi Sally,
Looks like a fabulous recipe. I can’t wait to try it. Great tip for freezing muffins! I also love the color sorting activity. Great post, Sally!
Sally says
January 22, 2016 at 1:38 PMThank you, Carol!
Linda Toonen says
January 22, 2016 at 9:26 AMThey look delicious, and thanks to you, Sally, I purchased a mini muffin pan. 🙂 I’m ready to try these.
Sally says
January 22, 2016 at 1:39 PMOh, fun! I think these are better as minis. Thanks, Linda!