Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Jumbo muffins with a swirl of brown sugar cinnamon filling and a simple vanilla glaze — all the flavor of a cinnamon roll without the yeast dough and rising time.
- Prep Time
- 15 min
- Cook Time
- 28 min
- Total Time
- 43 min
- Servings
- 11 jumbo muffins
I've never met anyone who didn't love a big cinnamon roll, and I have a hard time believing that person exists. A few years back, my mother-in-law and I stopped into a local bakery for coffee, and a Cinnamon Roll Muffin caught my eye on the menu. I'd never had one before, and one bite in, I was hooked on how it captured everything about a cinnamon roll in muffin form.
So I went home and recreated it using cake mix, sized it up into a jumbo muffin, and it turned out even better than the bakery version — my husband and daughter were both immediately won over. In fact, this is the only muffin flavor my daughter specifically asks for from the freezer stash on weekends.
Baking a big batch and wrapping them individually for the freezer is hands-down the easiest way I make breakfast happen around here. Everybody picks their own flavor the night before, and it's ready to go by morning. Lazy or smart? I like to think it's a little of both.
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines)
- 1 small box french vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
For the Filling
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
For the Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-3 tsp. milk
Instructions
- 1Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a standing mixer or medium mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, cinnamon, oil, milk, eggs, and sour cream. Beat at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until well combined.
- 2Line 2 jumbo muffin pans with liners. Distribute about half of the batter evenly into the cavities, filling each about 1/3 full.
- 3In a small bowl, toss the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over each muffin. Scoop the remaining batter on top.
- 4Bake for 11 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 17-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
- 5Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pans to cool completely on cooling racks.
- 6Combine the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl and stir together. Spread evenly over the top of each muffin, and let the icing set before wrapping.
Storage & Reheating
Freezer instructions: once muffins have cooled completely, wrap individually in plastic wrap, label, and store in the freezer. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days if not freezing.
