Mini Cinnamon Muffins

5 from 30 votes

Recipe video above. These are way too easy to keep popping in your mouth. They taste like cinnamon doughnuts! Except, baked, not fried :) And the inside is more plush and buttery because the recipe is based on French Madeleines. How did I never do that before - it's too good and too easy not to adapt for other recipes!

I make these mini because the batter works best for small little cakes - and also, so cute! But you can totally use a regular muffin tin, see Note 3.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Course: Sweet Baking

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: cinnamon muffins, mini muffins

Servings: mini muffins

Calories: 65cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour (Note 1)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder (make sure yours is still active!)
1/8 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
2 large eggs , at room temperature (55-60g/2oz each)
1/2 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar (Note 2)
2 tsp oil (canola, veg or other neutral oil)
2 tbsp milk , full fat best but low fat ok
2 tsp vanilla extract
75g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter , melted and cooled but still warm
Canola oil spray , or other neutral oil spray (Note 1)

Cinnamon sugar:

2 tbsp caster sugar / superfine sugar (Note 2)
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Cups - Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED:

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar vigorously, then oil, milk and vanilla. Add flour in 2 batches, then butter. Spray mini muffin tin, fill 3/4 full, bake 12 min at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), bang out then toss in cinnamon sugar.

FULL RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). (Don't grease the muffin tin yet)
Cinnamon Sugar - Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Dry ingredients - Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Wet ingredients - In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar vigorously for 20 seconds until pale yellow. Add oil, milk and vanilla and whisk again.
Finish batter - Add half the flour, gently whisk in, then whisk in the remaining flour. Gently whisk in the butter until incorporated. Set aside while you prepare the muffin tin.
Spray and bake - Generously spray a 24 hole mini muffin tin with oil. (Note 3) Fill each 3/4 full with batter (don't be greedy and overfill, they will not rise as they should!). A small cookie scoop with lever is handy, or a jug or piping bag.
Bake 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes then invert and assertively bang the pan edge on a work surface to knock the muffins out of the tin. (Don't try to pry out, they will break)
Toss in cinnamon sugar while warm (sticks better) then serve immediately!

Notes

1. Flour - Self raising flour can be used in place of the plain flour and baking powder, it should rise just as well though the crumb probably won't be quite as soft. Wholemeal flour is not recommended, and I haven't tried with GF flour.

2. Sugar - You can use regular sugar in the batter but for the coating, it needs to be caster sugar / superfine sugar so it is fine enough to stick to the muffins.

3. Muffin tin size - If you don't have a mini muffin tin, divide the batter between 12 regular muffin tin holes (14-15 min bake) to make flatter-than-usual muffin "discs". Not only do you get a better cinnamon-sugar-to-cake ratio, the batter is not suitable for making full size muffins (doesn't rise as much as I'd like).

LEFTOVERS will keep for 3 days, At their prime freshly made, if they cool down just rewarm in microwave for 20 seconds because they are sooooo good when warm! (That’s for whole bowl of them, if it’s just one, it only takes 5 sec). Freezable 3 months.

Nutrition per mini muffin, assuming half the cinnamon sugar is used.

Nutrition