Cinnamon Chip Muffins

A close-up of golden-brown muffins with cinnamon chip chunks, showing a moist texture and slightly crispy tops, grouped closely together.

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These cinnamon chip muffins are bakery-level good—tested over six batches and made with homemade cinnamon chips that melt into every bite. I perfected the ratios for fluffy texture and tall domes, so even if you're new to baking, you'll feel like a pro. As a self-taught baker, cookbook author, and known “muffin expert,” I’ve done the work so you can bake with confidence.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Rest Time15

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon chip muffins

Servings: muffins

Author: Beth

Ingredients

4 cups (480g) all purpose flour
1 ¾ cups (347g) granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
4 large eggs
¾ cup (177ml) buttermilk
½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
4 Tbsp (57g) unsalted butter melted & cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Chips

*If you want to skip the homemade cinnamon chips use 1 ½ cups of Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips
⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening or solid coconut oil
2 Tbsp corn syrup or honey

Instructions

Cinnamon Chips

Preheat the oven to 225ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a food processor, blend all ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, use your hands or 2 forks to work the mixture together.
⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar, 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening, 2 Tbsp corn syrup
Use your hands to squeeze and press the mixture until it comes together into a soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a lined baking sheet. Press or roll it out into a thin, even layer, about 1/4-inch thick.
Bake for 30–35 minutes. The mixture will not change much in appearance, but will look a little more melted and less granular. The mixture will still be soft. Allow it to cool completely, it will harden as it cools.
Use a knife to cut the cinnamon slab into small squares. This recipe will yield about 1.5 cups.

Muffins

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 ¼ cups of cinnamon chips, save ¼ cup cinnamon chips for the tops of the muffins. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
4 cups (480g) all purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups (347g) granulated sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp cinnamon
In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, melted & cooled butter, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
4 large eggs, ¾ cup (177ml) buttermilk, ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil, 4 Tbsp (57g) unsalted butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top! Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Press additional cinnamon chips on top of the muffins and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.

Nutrition