Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins

These Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins combine cinnamon swirl coffee cake with honey bun glaze for the ultimate breakfast or brunch treat.

I’ve been on a real muffin kick lately. It’s easy to bake a fresh batch, store them in an airtight container, and breakfast is ready for the next couple of days. It’s such a lifesaver when mornings get busy. Just grab a muffin, pour some coffee, and breakfast is done.

During this streak of baking, I started tinkering with a new recipe idea for coffee cake muffins. I tested and tweaked them again and again, adjusting the cinnamon filling and piling on more brown sugar streusel. (More is more when it comes to streusel, if you ask me.) But something was still missing. It wasn’t until I drizzled them with a sweet honey glaze – the same glossy kind you find on classic – that everything clicked. Suddenly, they had that extra layer of flavor that made them extraordinary. That’s when I knew these Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins were finally worthy of sharing with you.

Make the Streusel Topping

Start by combining flour, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl, then cut in cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. For the best texture, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should be crumbly with pea-sized butter pieces throughout. After mixing, transfer the streusel to the refrigerator to keep it cold, since chilled streusel bakes into a crisp, golden topping that delivers a satisfying sugar crunch.

Make the Coffee Cake Muffin Batter

Next, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl while combining sour cream, melted butter, eggs, sugar, honey, and vanilla in another. Stir the two together just until blended – overmixing can make muffins tough rather than tender. The sour cream keeps the muffins moist and also adds a subtle tang.

This batter is so simple to mix, you don’t even need an electric mixer! It has a rich vanilla flavor with just a kiss of honey in the batter.

Mix the Cinnamon Ripple Batter

Now, remove about 3/4 cup of the muffin batter and stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. This creates a darker batter that becomes the cinnamon ripple running through the center of each muffin.

Layer the Batters in a Muffin Tin

After that, begin layering your muffin cups by spooning in plain batter, then a scoop of the cinnamon ripple, and then topping with more plain batter until the cups are about 3/4 full.

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Swirl the Batters Together and Top with Streusel

Lightly swirl the layers together with a butter knife or skewer. Don’t overdo it, since too much swirling will muddy the layers instead of creating a pretty ribbon inside. Finally, heap a generous spoonful of the cold streusel mixture onto each muffin. It may seem like too much at first, but don’t hold back. Plenty of streusel makes a thick, crunchy topping after baking.

Bake the Coffee Cake Muffins

Now, bake the muffins in a preheated 400°F oven until they’re risen, golden, and fragrant. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. The streusel topping will naturally be a little crumbly and may spread onto the pan a little – this is normal. Let the muffins rest for about five minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Add the Honey Bun Glaze

Meanwhile, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, honey, and milk until the glaze is smooth but pourable. Drizzle it over the warm muffins so it seeps into the streusel cracks, then sets with a shiny finish.

Drizzle with Honey

For even more honey bun flavor, finish the muffins with a light drizzle of pure honey right before serving. (I couldn’t resist!)

Share them with Someone You Love

These muffins are made for sharing! My pug puppy Honey Bun joined as today’s brunch guest (apropos, right?). Perhaps you remember her from . (I think she’s grown since then!) Although she didn’t get a muffin, she did enjoy a bite of fruit while keeping me company.

These Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins bake up beautifully with their crunchy streusel caps. It’s hard to believe they are made with mostly pantry staples. For that reason, they’re easy to put into regular breakfast rotation. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SprinkleBakes