Cinnamon Mini Muffins

These mini muffins taste like cinnamon sugar donuts without any frying. A simple spiced batter baked in mini muffin cups, then brushed with melted butter and dusted with cinnamon sugar while still warm. The butter melts into the hot muffin top and the sugar sticks, creating that signature sparkly, sweet crust.

The batter is basic but well-spiced. Nutmeg and allspice in the crumb give each mini muffin a warm, bakery-shop aroma that plain cinnamon alone can’t deliver. Together with the cinnamon sugar topping, you get spice from the inside and the outside.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until moistened. A few lumps are fine. Overmixed muffin batter develops gluten and produces tough, dense muffins instead of tender, fluffy ones. This is the most common muffin mistake.

Mini muffin cups bake fast: 12 to 14 minutes at high heat. They should dome slightly and spring back when touched. Brush with butter immediately after pulling from the oven while the tops are still hot enough to melt it.

Chef Tips

• Grease the mini muffin pan well or use paper liners. These small muffins are delicate and tear easily.
• Brush the butter on generously. It’s what makes the cinnamon sugar adhere.
• These are best eaten warm. The cinnamon sugar crust softens as they cool.
• Two dozen mini muffins disappear fast. Consider doubling the recipe.

Variations

• Apple cinnamon mini: Fold ½ cup finely diced apple into the batter for fruity bites.
• Pumpkin spice: Add 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree and ¼ teaspoon extra cinnamon to the batter for a fall version.
• Chocolate dipped: Skip the cinnamon sugar and dip the tops in melted chocolate for a different treat.