Coffee Cake Muffins
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 8, 2013
Time
1 hour, plus 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar ⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar ⅓ cup (1⅔ ounces, 47 grams) all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled½ cup pecansMuffins
2 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softenedBefore You Begin
Be sure to use muffin-tin liners for this recipe or the cinnamon filling will stick to the pan.
Instructions
- For the streusel: Pulse 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in food processor until just combined. Reserve 3/4 cup sugar mixture for cinnamon filling. Add pecans and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to food processor with remaining sugar mixture and pulse until nuts are coarsely ground. Transfer to bowl and set aside for streusel topping. Do not wash food processor.
- For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray and line with paper liners. Whisk eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in bowl. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in food processor until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to large bowl. Using rubber spatula, gradually fold in egg mixture until just combined. Place 1 tablespoon batter in each muffin cup and top with 1 tablespoon cinnamon filling. Using back of spoon, press cinnamon filling lightly into batter, then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.
- Bake until muffins are light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached, 22 to 28 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 30 minutes, then carefully transfer to rack to cool. Serve. (The muffins will keep in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Time
1 hour, plus 30 minutes coolingYield
Makes 12 muffinsIngredients
Streusel
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (1⅔ ounces, 47 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
½ cup pecans
Muffins
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Streusel
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (1⅔ ounces, 47 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
½ cup pecans
Muffins
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Streusel
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ cup (1⅔ ounces, 47 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
½ cup pecans
Muffins
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
With a swirl of cinnamon enriching a tender cake and a topping of sweet, nutty streusel, a big slice of coffee cake is pretty hard to beat. Compacting all that goodness into a muffin recipe seemed like a great idea, but most of the coffee cake muffins recipes we tried resembled dry, cottony yellow cupcakes with little or no cinnamon filling, while other recipes simply packed mounds of dry, gritty streusel on top. We set out to make a coffee cake muffin as good as a regular coffee cake—with the option of taking it to go. For muffins that were rich but not too dense, we cut back on the amount of butter and eggs most coffee cake recipes require, but kept the typical amount of sour cream—it gave the muffins a moist, velvety appeal. For the streusel topping, we cut a little butter and flour into our mixture of nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. The added moisture allowed the topping to clump and stay put on top of the muffin.
Before You Begin
Be sure to use muffin-tin liners for this recipe or the cinnamon filling will stick to the pan.
Instructions
- For the streusel: Pulse 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in food processor until just combined. Reserve 3/4 cup sugar mixture for cinnamon filling. Add pecans and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to food processor with remaining sugar mixture and pulse until nuts are coarsely ground. Transfer to bowl and set aside for streusel topping. Do not wash food processor.
- For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray and line with paper liners. Whisk eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in bowl. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in food processor until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to large bowl. Using rubber spatula, gradually fold in egg mixture until just combined. Place 1 tablespoon batter in each muffin cup and top with 1 tablespoon cinnamon filling. Using back of spoon, press cinnamon filling lightly into batter, then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.
- Bake until muffins are light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached, 22 to 28 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 30 minutes, then carefully transfer to rack to cool. Serve. (The muffins will keep in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
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