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Tender & sweet glazed coffee cake muffins filled with a brown sugar streusel are the perfect breakfast treat!!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Coffee Cake, so to have it in a muffin form with a glaze sounds even more amazing. The sweet aroma of Coffee Cake Muffins will have you drooling!!
Muffin-sized coffee cake!
These coffee cake muffins with brown butter glaze that I am sharing today are amazing! This is one of those recipes that will have your house smelling beyond delicious and good.
We love these muffins because they have a light and tender coffee cake base, with a sweet and crumbly pecan streusel mixed in and a to-die-for brown butter glaze over the top.
I made these using a reverse creaming method (not scary—trust me!), which I think made them extra tender and moist. It really reduces over-mixing and results in a lighter baked product overall, which is perfect for these muffins!
These coffee cake muffins are sure to be a new family favorite, and would be wonderful for a special breakfast or brunch. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!
For more muffins perfect for breakfast or brunch, try our Carrot Cake Muffins, Lemon Crumb Muffins, and Snickerdoodle Muffins.
How to make coffee cake muffins
PREP. Preheat the oven to 325. Line 12 muffins cups with paper liners.
STREUSEL. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Set aside.
BATTER. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl or a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
BAKE. Scoop one tablespoon of batter into each of the muffin cups. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the streusel mixture over the batter, then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining streusel. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove and let cool.
GLAZE. While the cupcakes are cooling, add the tablespoon of butter to a small skillet and cook over medium low heat until lightly browned and fragrant. (Watch carefully so that it does not burn.) Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl and add the brown butter. Whisk to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and add milk until the glaze is a thick honey consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cupcakes.
Tips, Variations + Storing Info
This recipe uses the reverse creaming method. Basically, you mix the fats (butter) with the flour and other dry ingredients which ultimately minimizes gluten formation as well as reduces the size of the air pockets creating a finer crumb. Then, you mix in the liquid ingredients.
Variations:
- Instead of mixing the streusel into the batter you can layer it or sprinkle it on top.
- Make them mini: Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners and pour the batter. Bake for about 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Different Nut: Pecans are my first choice, but you can also use walnuts or almonds. If you can’t have nuts try using chopped coconut flakes or oats
- Low sugar: You can cut the amount of sugar up to half
- Reduce the amount of butter by up to 3 tbsp for a more dry cake.
STORE the muffins in a covered container at room temperature for 3-5 days or in the fridge for about a week.
FREEZE these coffee cake muffins the same way you would other muffins or cupcakes. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil or place them together in a freezer bag. Ideally, if you are planning to freeze your muffins it would be better to wait to add the glaze until right before you are ready to eat them, but freezing frosted leftovers also works. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To REHEAT: Thaw at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Wrap them in tin foil and heat until warm. You can also heat them in the microwave.
for Other fun breakfast foods, try:
- Homemade Poptarts
- Mini Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Muffins
- Homemade biscuit donuts
- Cinnamon Twists
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Monkey Bread Muffins
Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter melted
Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter cold and cut into small pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line 12 muffins cups with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl or a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scoop one tablespoon of batter into each of the muffin cups. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the streusel mixture over the batter, then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining streusel. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove and let cool.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, add the tablespoon of butter to a small skillet and cook over medium low heat until lightly browned and fragrant. (Watch carefully so that it does not burn.) Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl and add the brown butter. Whisk to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and add milk until the glaze is a thick honey consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cupcakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I like the look of the recipe but it’s too much sugar for me 🙁
Do you have any ideas on how I can substitute it/lessen the amount without losing the texture and the taste?
I haven’t ever tried to swap out the sugar or lessen it in this recipe, so I’m not totally sure. You could play around with sugar alternatives/substitutes, but it could change the flavor/texture. Sorry I don’t have much advice on this one!
Well, after taking a mouse-bite from a just-out-of-the-oven muffins, I decided they did not need the drizzle top. Reason being, I actually put some of the middle nut mixture on top before baking. Wow, these were addictive good. Truly, these are a great muffin for a special morning, like Christmas!
Awe, thank you for saying that! I am so glad you think so 🙂
This was Delicious. The only reason i gave it a 3 star is because it was too buttery for me. Maybe adding half thr amount of butter abd some oil or milk instead would HElp.
I appreciate you trying it 🙂 Thank you!