Cinnamon Streusel Muffin Recipe

Cinnamon Streusel Muffin Recipe

Cook Time:  30-40 minutes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

**Updated

Do you have a case of the Winter Blues? A spread of Apple Butter a day keeps the doctor away; that's how the saying goes, right? Happy National Muffin Day! These delicious Cinnamon Streusel Muffins, laced with sweet cinnamony apple butter, will chase away any cold weather gloominess and put a smile on your family's face.

What is the perfect cure for those winter day blues, you ask? "Bake the world a better place!" (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). And better yet, bake with your children! We love baking together as a family, and these muffins, tinged with Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread and cinnamon and drizzled with a lemony glaze, are "just what the doctor ordered." ;)

So fire up the fireplace, turn on your oven (maybe light a Winter-scented candle), grab the family, and get ready to create a striking, Winter-scented dish everyone will love!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this recipe. Return for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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* Note- I usually make this as a coffee cake in a 9X13 pan, but I made muffins this time.  I used jumbo muffin tins from Wilton, but this recipe will also work in regular muffin tins (you may need to lower the cooking time to 30 minutes).

Muffin Ingredients 

• 1 box yellow cake mix with pudding (We used Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix)-

• 2/3 cup Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

• 1 cup buttermilk (*Substitute 1 cup milk plus 1 Tablespoon white vinegar, stir and let sit for a minute)

• 4 eggs, room temperature

  STREUSEL MIX INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 Tablespoons (Tbsp)

•  2/3 cup brown sugar

  ICING INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  
  

 Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray. (We used jumbo muffin tins from Wilton to make them extra special. See *Note). In a small bowl, mix the streusel ingredients with a fork. (You will be using half of the streusel mix for the layering effect mentioned shortly, and the other half on top before baking).

Mix the muffin ingredients together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer and beat for two minutes.

So here is the fun part. The goal is to layer the batter, followed by a little streusel mix, then add more batter on top, not exceeding filling the muffin tin to 2/3 full.

After you have carefully layered the batter, take a butter knife and gently run the knife through the batter to make swirls. You will only need a couple of swirls. (This picture I accidentally filled the muffin tin more than 2/3 full…oops, sorry!) Finish by sprinkling the remaining streusel mix over the muffins. Place the muffin tins in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Depending on your oven and the size of the muffin pan (see *Note above), begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes.

While muffins are baking, mix the icing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. When muffins are done, remove from oven and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. The muffins can be slightly warm, but not hot, or it will melt the icing. Drizzle icing over muffins and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Cooking Tip: How To Make Cake Flour

Cooking Tip: How to Make Cake Flour*

Over the years, I have learned the value of "mise en place" (A French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place"), but to be honest, cake flour is an ingredient I do not often have on hand...or do I? 

I am always amazed at the resources available online these days for everything, including how to make cake flour!  (Am I the only one who remembers encyclopedias and going to the library to research something?  I guess I am dating myself;)  Ok, I digress;)

Making cake flour (a necessary ingredient, in my opinion, for making light, tender cakes and other baked goods) is super simple and uses only two ingredients: all-purpose flour, and cornstarch. 

So, here is how it is done:  For every cup of flour required for a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) of flour and add back in the same amount of cornstarch.  Here's a post by http://www.thegraciouswife.com/cake-flour-substitute/, which gives a nice breakdown of the conversions.

• 1 cup of cake flour, remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, remove 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• 2 cups of cake flour, remove 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of all-purpose flour and add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• 2 1/2 cups of cake flour, remove 5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 5 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• 3 cups of cake flour, remove 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.

There you go friends - a clever substitution with ingredients you probably already have on hand, and you will forever have your "mise en place"!

Comment below if you have any questions or tips of your own to share.

Thank you for stopping by!  Come back and revisit us :)

Happy Baking!

*A huge shout out and thank you to my dear friend Elliot from Bakin' Whoopie in Maryland for sharing this fabulous picture (I am pretty sure she knows how to make cake flour;), and to her Photographer, Mary Gardella (www.marygardella.com), also in Maryland, for capturing this playful side of Elliot.  Thank you ladies!