Easy Bakery-Style Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe

Muffins are one of those baked goods that immediately transports me back to childhood, so it was a no brainer to make this easy bakery-style coffee cake muffins recipe. These are the fluffiest, moist, delicious muffins that will make you think someone ran to the corner bakery just to buy them. Nope, they're homemade, and so much better when made at home.

This recipe is perfect for breakfast all year round! No need for a special occasion for these muffins, unless it's for brunch. Always say yes to brunch.

If you know me, and you've been around here long, you know my obsession with muffins. These muffins are inspired by my blueberry streusel muffins and my sour cream chocolate chip muffins, all equally mouthwatering in their own way.

Jump to:

• What ingredients do I need for these coffee cake muffins?
• How do I make this coffee cake muffin recipe?
• Muffin Swaps and Substitutions
• Muffin Variations
• Tips for making the best muffins
• Ways to serve these coffee cake muffins
• How do I store this recipe? Can I freeze these muffins?
• Hungry for More?
• Coffee Cake Muffins

What ingredients do I need for these coffee cake muffins?

For the crumb topping, you'll need:

• Butter - I prefer to use salted butter, but unsalted works fine too, you'll just add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
• Cane Sugar - the cane sugar paired with the brown sugar gives the sweet topping its flavor.
• Light Brown Sugar - helps to add to the flavor and texture of the streusel.
• Cinnamon - cinnamon is part of the streusel flavor profile.
• Flour - flour binds the butter and sugar together to make the crumb texture.

For the muffin recipe, you'll need:

• Eggs - a classic ingredient that goes into baked goods.
• Oil - either avocado or olive oil works great
• Cane Sugar - cane sugar gives these muffins their sweetness.
• Brown Sugar - brown sugar aids with moisture and texture, along with the added sweet factor.
• Milk - if you don't use regular milk, almond milk or oat works well.
• Vanilla Extract - always good to add vanilla into baked goods, as it gives a subtle vanilla flavor.
• Sour Cream - baking with sour cream is my favorite! Sour cream gives additional fat to the bake, and results in a moist and velvety texture.
• All-Purpose Flour - classic all-purpose flour is great for baking all sorts of things, and I love using it for muffins.
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder - we use a little of both for these muffins to give them an ultimate texture and rise.
• Cinnamon - I like adding just a little cinnamon to the batter for more flavor and a little color.

See the following recipe card for more information about the ingredient quantities.

How do I make this coffee cake muffin recipe?

HINT: Using a cookie scoop to divide the batter into the muffin tin is way easier than trying to ladle the same amount of batter. A large cookie scoop is all it takes.

Muffin Swaps and Substitutions

Of course, this recipes come with a few alternatives and swaps to meet all dietary and lifestyle needs. See below for a few swaps that I know will be perfect for you!

• Gluten - instead of all purpose flour, you can use a gluten-free version. I would suggest a 1:1 flour as this is a very reliable swap.
• Dairy - use almond milk and a dairy-free sour cream instead of the regular milk and regular sour cream.
• Coconut sugar - swap out the brown sugar for coconut sugar if you desire. I would not take out all of the sugar for coconut sugar as this recipe was not intended to be made that way, and it will change the overall bake color and texture a bit.

Muffin Variations

These muffins are fabulous as is, but if you want to vary how you serve or make them, feel free to consider the following ideas:

• Make a Loaf - instead of making individual muffins, you can pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake it like a quick bread for breakfast.
• Make 'em mini - if you have a miniature muffin tin you can easily make these bite size for a fun little snack for your kids.
• Make a cake - You can turn these muffins into an actual coffee cake by pouring the batter into a 9x9 pan and baking for 30 minutes.

Tips for making the best muffins

After trial and error, and lots of revamping and recipe writing, here are my top three muffin tips for getting the perfect, bakery-style muffin each and every time

1. Switch from the whisk when mixing the batter to a spatula as you fold in the flour, this yields an airy texture and less chewy, as a whisk is intended to whisk volume to the eggs, and over-whisking or mixing can cause the batter to get gummy.
2. Let the muffin batter sit on the counter for an extended period of time. When the batter rests, it gives the leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder) to marry and build up so that when the muffins bake, it'll aid with the texture, mouthfeel, and overall rise.
3. Leave room in between the muffins in the muffin tin itself. That might mean using more than one muffin tin to bake with. This gives the muffins some room to rise up higher and fluffier when they bake.

Ways to serve these coffee cake muffins

Muffins are traditionally served as a grab and go style recipe, but here are some other fun and creative ways to serve them

• Place halved muffins on a platter and serve like this brunch board
• Toast them and slather a thick piece of butter on top.
• Serve in a basket and bring to a friend after they've given birth, or for a sympathy/condolence gesture.

How do I store this recipe? Can I freeze these muffins?

To Store: Place the muffins in an airtight container and store on the counter. These muffins will last for up to 3-4 days. Placing them in the fridge will actually cause them to dry out.

To Freeze: Wrap any remaining muffins, or all of them if it's meant for a batch freeze, in either plastic wrap or place in ziplock bags, labeling the date in which they were baked. They will last up to two months in the freezer. To thaw, take them out and let them defrost in the fridge overnight.

Hungry for More?

Try out these other drool worthy muffin recipes!