These brown sugar muffins are one of my “go to” muffin recipes. My kids love them for breakfast or a snack and I always double the recipe.
You can freeze these brown sugar muffins or pack the leftovers in their lunchbox.
When I created this recipe I had an oven that always cooked things quicker than most ovens. Please adjust your baking time accordingly. If you are making regular sized muffins you might need to bake them for 20-22 minutes. Mini muffins bake much quicker so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
These brown sugar muffins aren’t super healthy, so it is usually a special treat in our house. It’s also a great item to bring to a potluck brunch. They are always a big hit.
They are also a great weight watchers snack! Each muffin is only 2 pts!
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour I use whole wheat or a mixture of white and wheat
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil or substitute applesauce for oil
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix together flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add egg, milk and oil and mix together.
- Fill muffin cups 1/4 full with batter.
- Add a pinch of brown sugar. (Or a little more)
- Cover the brown sugar with batter.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
What’s great about these brown sugar muffins (or any muffin) is that you can customize them to your own taste. Some simple reader substitutions are below:
- Substitute applesauce instead of oil.
- Try cinnamon applesauce instead of oil (yum!).
- Use powdered milk.
- Increase the fiber by adding shredded apple, cranberries, or bran.
- Drizzle with caramel.
- Add blueberries to the mix.
- Brush muffins with melted butter after cooking.
- Substitute regular milk with coconut milk.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg and a splash of vanilla.
- Use one mashed banana as a substitute for the egg and oil.
- Mix in cinnamon chips (you can find these during the holidays).
Remember to add your modifications to the comments below! I’d love to hear how they turned out.
More great recipes to try:
Amy says
How can I e-mail a copy of this recipe to myself? I can’t get it to copy/paste.
Thanks!
Lisa says
If it involves brown sugar, my 5 year old will want to make it. These look delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa
Denise@TogetherWeSave says
These look very yummy!!
Crystal @MrsHappyHomemaker.com says
These look so simple, yet so scrumptious. I’ve got to make these in the very near future. Thanks for sharing!
Bella says
MMMMM This looks really good. I am definitely going to try this!
Cari says
I made these with my girls this afternoon and they were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
TheHappyHousewife says
So glad you liked them. They are so delicious!
Kelly says
These look delicious. As far as being not too healthy, I’d say w/using whole wheat flour and the applesauce in place of oil, they qualify on the healthy side. Even if you keep the canola oil–it’s a *healthy* fat and there isn’t that much in the recipe. Will definitely have to try these. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
TheHappyHousewife says
Yes, I agree, they are sort of healthy….. 🙂
MerryMakes says
I tried these with white flour first – they were gorgeous! Then I tried the same with wholemeal flour – not so great. In fact, they came out more like rock cake. The batter didn’t come out batter-like, rather stiff and dry. Any suggestions as to what I’m doing wrong and how to rectify it?
Thanks.
TheHappyHousewife says
What is wholemeal flour?
Lawanna says
Just made these for breakfast. I substituted powdered milk and it worked out well. Are yours really done after 15 minutes at 350? Mine needed another 7-8 minutes. I usually bake muffins at 400F.
TheHappyHousewife says
Yes, mine are usually done after about fifteen minutes, but I think I have “hot” oven. So it could take longer.
Toni
Nicole @Team Pipkin says
I have a question.
Is it 1/4 teaspoon or cup of canola oil? I was gonna use applesauce in this recipe. Thanks!
Lauren Nguyen says
I’m having trouble copying and pasting this too. 🙁
They look so yummy!
Mom x'2 says
Just made these and they are great!! I used cinnamon applesause and they turned out just fine:) Thank you, so glad I found “The Happy Housewife”!!!! I have told several people about you!
Debbie says
I really like the sound of this. It will be going on my menu plan soon. Come join me for What’s On the Menu Wednesday whenever you can.
Cathy says
Actually, I think these look quite healthy as the sugar and fat content aren’t that high. That’s always the criteria for Weight Watchers in determining how many points something gets. And the fibre content, too, of course.
You could pump up the fibre content with the whole wheat flour and adding some dried fruit like cranberries or some shredded apple and a bit of bran. I think that then it would be very healthy. I’d like to try making these. Thanks for the recipe.
Christina says
Has anyone tried this with soy milk?
Jeanie says
I just put this into weight watchers builder and using oil, and 2% milk and allowing 1/4 cup of brown sugar to sprinkle.. 24 muffins are 2 points each.
Hope this helps!
tay says
I might try these!
Alissabeth says
My homemade muffins never turn out looking like that. These sound yummy and I think I might just have to make some for breakfast tomorrow!
Alissabeth says
These were pretty good!! Everyone liked them, so that’s what counts! They are the best consistency homemade muffins I’ve made – even out of Betty Crocker. I used 1c whole wheat, 3/4 unbleached white. While I like wheat muffins, they always seem too heavy when I make them at home. I did use the applesauce and I think that helped a lot.
I baked 15 minutes and then added 3 minutes because they weren’t browned. I only got 12 muffins out of this recipe.
Erica says
Made these this morning. I added a bit of cinnamon to the batter and I mixed the brown sugar and cinnamon together to sprinkle on the layers. They are so so good! Thanks for posting!
Trooppetrie says
a easy recipe for things you always have on hand
Wendy says
Haven’t been by in a while, and this is what I find?! 😉 YUM-O! Gonna try it this weekend! Pronto!
Mary says
I found this recipe in late August and have made them about 6 times!!!! I try not to eat too many sweets, but my family and friends love these muffins!!!! I will be sure to make them again and again!!!
Vieve says
I’m going to make these tonight. Excited. They seem easier than a recipe I used called Donut Muffins. Those were good, and certainly easier, but these look even quicker and a little more healthy. I’m going to try with WHITE whole wheat flour. (Yes, such a thing exists!!! and it’s a whole grain flour!)
kristina says
Im thinkin of using coconut oil (all sweet breads must have coconut oil lol). whole wheat unbleached flour, honey as my white sugar. I was wondering if I could put carrots in this and how much. I just love your recipes. I been trying to go organic as much as possible. So, you know that means baking from scratch. Im determined though.
TheHappyHousewife says
Would you puree’ the carrots or use shredded?
kristina says
pureed or shredded either way doesnt matter to me? does it? lol I was gonna just shredd and add though.
Aunt T says
Just made these this morning…yummy!
Karla C says
Making these TODAY! Thanks!
Jeri says
I just made these for my family, they are SOOO good! I think I am going to drizzle a little caramel in each one next time.
Sam says
The canola oil / applesauce.. what was the measurement for that.. 1/4 something? lol Thanks 🙂
Tara McMillan says
I love these- this is the 5th time I have copied down the recipe- I keep loosing the one I have in the kitchen
thanks again- these are wonderful- and only 1 egg!!!
Linda Pritchard says
I’m planning to make these for Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. This will be a real treat! Can’t wait! Thank you!
Amy says
Yum! I’m thinking white whole wheat, coconut oil and honey – breakfast tomorrow!
Colleen says
I used 1 c. white flour, 1/2 c. barley flour and 1/4 c. whole wheat flour. I also added the cinnamon to the batter instead of adding it to the top. The entire family loved them…including my very picky kindergartener!
Thanks!
crystal says
I love them thanks for sharing.
Shannon says
If I use applesauce instead of the oil, is it the same measurement?
Alice says
They looked and tasted delicious, but we were surprised at how little batter it made. We could only make about 6 muffins!
Tracy says
I’m type 2 diabetic so I’m going to try these using the Splenda brown sugar mix and applesauce. Hope they turn out! They sound delish!
Jessica Lovitt says
I used whole wheat flour, applesauce, and added blueberries. The batter needed just a bit of water and they baked in 16 minutes to perfection! Thanks for the recipe–they were a huge hit with my family.
Laney r says
Add some cinnamon and brown sugar to the batter too!! Also put butter on the muffin and heat it before you eat it!! It brings out the flavor
Krisha says
I have them in the oven right now! It looks delicious in your pictures, but I think maybe I did something wrong. I did have to use vegetable oil unfortunately, because I ran out of canola oil, but I didn’t think that would make a change in the texture. The batter came out very stiff though so it was kind of hard to spread it amongst the 12 muffin cups. Hopefully it comes out good though. I just noticed in your pictures the batter looks more runny (mine I could mold shapes with) and in muffins I’ve made in the past they came out more runny too. Could the type of oil have an effect on the consistency?
Tali says
We made these this morning. Super Super Easy – we used Coconut milk and vegan butter and it worked brilliantly. my boys asked for it to be put on the breakfast menu rotation. Yeeeahh. Thank you
Melissa says
I just made these, as in they just came out of the oven a few minutes ago, and they are wonderful. They made the house smell great too. Thank you for yet another great recipe 🙂
Robyn says
I just made these and they are not bad. I do think that the milk measurement is off. I had to use 1 cup of milk and even then the batter was really thick. 3/4 cup of milk made the dough stiff like cookie dough.
Heather says
Just wonderful! I’ve made these quite a few times now and they are definitely a favorite! I also add a pinch of nutmeg to the dry ingredients, and also a splash of vanilla to the wet. 🙂
Heather says
To make it healthy use coconut oil, not canola oil. Use sucanat for brown sugar and honey granules in place of white sugar. And of course, freshly milled whole wheat flour using soft white berries.
Brooke says
I’ve made these once before following recipe exactly, and my family loved them. Got adventurous today and made 1/2 the batch with fresh blueberry and chopped mango in the middle layer and left out the cinnamon. Also grinded up oats and added to flour mixture.. To make it a more filling breakfast 🙂
Teresa says
I used 1 banana instead of the egg & canola oil and the substitute worked great 🙂
Azi says
Used brown sugar instead of refined and added honey (who cares about calories 🙂 ) in the middle. Baked for 5 minutes longer and let cool in the oven. yum!
ayla says
The muffins took a bit longer to cook for me then stated, probably another 10 minutes. I added cinnamon to the batter as well which was nice, but I think for next time I will add a bit of vanilla extract and nutmeg to the batter as the muffin parts without the extra bits of cinnamon and sugar tasted a bit too floury in my opinion. Overall a good, simple and easy to make recipe that can stay simple or be enhanced by preference. Brooke’s fruit idea sounds great!
Sarah says
I just made them and have them cooking in the oven now! I was very excited this recipe didn’t require many ingredients. It was nice I didn’t have to run to the store. This recipe also seemed more healthy than most, which is always a plus!
Mary says
I love this site….. I think I am going to try using the brow sugar in place of the refined. These
muffins are soooooooo good. No matter who I make them for, they seem to love them!!! 🙂
tyler says
My ones are really yucky thought any reasons why ?
Toni Anderson says
Maybe you forgot an ingredient.
Jo-Beth says
Delicious! My boyfriend just ate three in a row with a big grin on his face. So I did add a little vanilla extract, just a (small) capful. I also seasoned the batter generously with cinnamon and nutmeg and added a generous handful of cinnamon chips. Yum! The cinnamon chips were on sale after Christmas, and I was at a little bit of a loss as to what to do with them. As soon as I saw this muffin recipe, I knew this would be perfect! These will definitely be a standby! Thanks.
Tals says
These were beautiful however I used white self raising flour instead and I also did 2 cups flour, 2 eggs, almost a cup of milk and a dollop extra sunflower oil (which I also used in the recipe instead of canola as I didn’t have any). I also added a teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter plus quarter cup brown sugar and 2 capfuls (about a teaspoon) vanilla extract. Really good. Baked for 17min on 175 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) then left in turned off oven for five min, checking regularly.
Tals says
I still added two pinches salt (continued from above post. )
Jessie says
I made a few changes so we shall see how they turn out.. They sure smell and yummy.. I doubled it since in my house I have 2 little boys and 1 hubby that like to eat goodies.. 😉 2 1/4 C. Flour, 1 C. Sugar, 2 Tbl. Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp. Salt, 2 Eggs (if you want healthier you can add 2 Tbl. Flax seed meal 1Tbl. Sour Cream and 6 Tble. of water to substitute eggs) , 2 C. Milk (I had to use water since I was out of Milk this go around), 1 C. Oats ( I warmed up the water and oats together in the microwave for a bit), 2tsp. Vanilla extract, 1/2 C. Coconut Oil (If I had apple sauce I would of used that instead), 2tsp. Cinnamon.. Then I just did a crump topping on top with coconut oil, flour, cinnamon and brown sugar.. Very yummy. We just ate one.. Will be putting this one in the recipe book..
Jessie says
Ooop sorry. I messed up a bit on the recipe above.. Here it is if you want it.. =)
2 1/4 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
2Tbl. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs (if you want healthier you can add 2Tbl. Flax seed meal and 6Tbl. of water to substitute eggs)
1Tbl. Sour Cream
2 C. Milk (I had to use water since I was out of Milk this go around),
1 C. Oats ( I warmed up the water and oats together in the microwave for a bit)
2tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 C. Coconut Oil (If I had apple sauce I would of used that instead)
2tsp. Cinnamon..
Then I just did a crump topping on top with coconut oil, flour, cinnamon and brown sugar.. Very yummy. We just ate one.. Will be putting this one in the recipe book..
Darcy says
My clients love these.. they gobble them up during snack time
Betty says
I made these muffins this morning for the grandkids. I found the batter too dry so I added another 1/4 C milk and 1/4 C applesauce. I substituted butter for the canola oil. I also had to bake an additional 10 min. All in all after adjustments, they came out delicious.
nina says
these muffins are easy to make and tasty too! they taste much like a coffee cake. i used more than a sprinkle of brown sugar. they were in the oven about 25 minutes.thanks for this recipe.i would make these again.