My weekend routine involves getting up before the sun on Saturday and hitting as many grocery stores as necessary to cross off everything on my list for the following week’s meals. It’s usually just two stores, but I’m crazy enough to visit four or five if I’m looking for something unique. I secretly love grocery shopping, but the early alarm and all the running around is anything but relaxing (though for the record, it’s still preferable in my mind to dealing with the crowds later in the day).
And that’s precisely why I love Sunday mornings so much, I’d say it’s my favorite time of the week. We almost never have anything going on, so the world is literally our oyster, as they say 🙂 Most Sundays at our house you’ll find Shane sleeping in and me in the kitchen, in my pjs, the sound of the music from my latest iTunes playlist filling the room as I bake. It makes me so happy to have that peaceful and relaxing hour or two just to enjoy myself before the day really gets going!
It’s actually pretty rare that I use that time to whip up a breakfast treat to serve that morning, but on occasion it does happen. This past Sunday morning I threw together these cinnamon roll muffins, and had them waiting when Shane woke up and came downstairs. The muffins are fairly similar to the cinnamon swirl cream biscuits I made last year – they’re both fun alternatives to traditional yeasted cinnamon rolls when you just can’t spare the time required to make them. I wouldn’t claim either as a perfect substitute for a yeasted cinnamon roll because, let’s face it, there is no substitute, but I’d put both recipes in the “next best thing” category. These muffins have that tender, gooey cinnamon-sugar center you know and love, especially when they’re still warm from the oven. They were the perfect way to start our day, and something tells me it won’t be all that long before I find myself making another batch on a lazy Sunday morning!
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
just slightly adapted from Fearless Homemaker
Dough
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Icing
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and the egg to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined (make sure you break up any clumps of brown sugar). Add the buttermilk and whisk to incorporate. Switch to a rubber spatula, and add the flour to the bowl, mixing until a rough dough comes together. Give the flour a minute to absorb the liquid, then if necessary add additional flour until you can handle the dough (ie, it isn’t super sticky) – I probably added about 1/4 cup.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a minute or two, until it is uniform. Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 12×24-inches (if the dough is sticking to your work surface, add additional flour). Brush the dough with the melted butter. Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the surface of the dough. Starting with a wide side facing you, tightly roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces (each about 2 inches). Place one piece of dough into each well of the prepared muffin pan.
Bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for a few minutes then remove them to the rack.
Make the icing by whisking together the confectioner’s sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla. I like my icing fairly thick, but if you want a thinner consistency, just add a little more half-and-half. Drizzle the muffins with the icing and serve warm. (Like cinnamon rolls, I thought these muffins were best warm, but we revived them on subsequent days with 20 seconds or so in the microwave.)
Makes 12 muffins
I’ve made cinnamon roll muffins before and they were awesome! Yours look so much better and way more delicious than mine were. Yummm!
These have been a great treat for breakfast the past few days; thanks for making them!
Yes! Cinnamon Roll Muffins are my fave! Nothing better than satisfying that craving quickly! I am a bit behind in my google reader and everything you’ve posted this week looks amazing!
I do the exact same thing on Saturday mornings. Once the stores get crowded, forget about it – pure misery! haha. These look awesome by the way : )
Tracey, these are gorgeous! I have had cinnamon rolls on my mind for quite some time lately and craved a warm one this morning in these frigid temperatures. I should try them as muffins.
YUM! These look so good! I made regular cinnamon rolls yesterday, and this seems like a great thing to try next time!
Yum, I would love to wake up to these on a Sunday morning! My favorite thing to do in the early mornings on the weekend is work out, but I then bake up something immediately after.
These would be such a treat to enjoy … any time of the day!
just stopping by to say hello
I think these muffins look wonderful and plan to make them one morning soon to take into work – so much easier than a yeast version – even I won’t get up at 3 a.m. to knead! Was wondering how you arranged the muffins in the pan to get that wonderful lift in the central spiral? When I’ve baked rolled dough in muffin tins, the center tends to spread rather than lift. Any hints?
I always hit multiple grocery stores too! Although I usually go on Fridays because I love waking up on Saturday and starting to bake 🙂
I want these right now! I love cinnamon rolls!
@Maureen – Hmmm, no special tricks really 🙂 I’ve only made these once so can’t say for sure, but I was careful to roll the dough very tightly. Other than that, I just placed them in the pan as is (I didn’t press them down or anything like that).
These look amazing! I love cinnamon rolls so I have to try these.
These look perfect and I bet they are delicious!
I am so like you! Saturday morning is crazy hectic grocery shopping and all but I have to beat the crowds. Then Sunday you’re all stocked up so you get to stay in and do nothing.
Shane is so lucky for you to have this all ready for him. Maybe I can do the same for Jason – he’ll be thrilled!
Wow they look fabulous. I want to reach into the screen and eat one! So tempting
I seriously love grocery shopping too! My family and friends think I am nuts! I love seeing new products and finding a great deal!
These look fantastic! I really love how high the swirls rise, and that drizzle of icing on top is the perfect finish. This sounds like the perfect way to start a weekend morning, especially since you don’t have all the rising time of yeast involved. And I like grocery shopping too when it involves prepping for some dish you’re really excited about! I’m with you there. 🙂
I made these awhile ago – really need to do it again! I am shocked my son hasn’t brought them up, he loves them!
You’ve just made our weekend a little sweeter. Thanks!
I can’t believe this recipe calls for brown sugar in the dough! I love the flavor of brown sugar, so I think that makes these makeshift cinnamon rolls so much extra special 🙂
Loooove these! And love your Sunday morning routine 🙂
These look amazing!!
These look gorgeous and sound divine, definitely a great way to start any day. (And I also am a grocery shopper lover)
They look delicious!
These are seriously impressive! I’ve certainly had my share of cinnamon rolls, but never as a muffin. What a great tweak!
That’s a pretty muffin! Love the height and the swirls of cinnamon. Sounds like a pretty nice way to start a Sunday.
Wow, do those look good! Going on the menu for tomorrow’s breakfast. =)
Waking up to the smell of coffee brewing and cinnamon baking are my idea of the perfect start to any day!Thank you for a recipe that is very do-able on weekend morning.
I made these and they turned out very tough and chewy. My dough was very elastic and kept snapping back as I tried to roll it out. Any suggestions?
Can i use this same recipe with self rising flour?
I tried this recipe and it was “ok”. I found it odd that there was no oil or butter or shortening in the dough. Was this an oversight? They tasted ok but the texture was pretty dry and heavy… Love your blog!
@Anonymous: I’ve never worked with self-rising flour so I’m honestly not sure. Sorry, wish I could be more help!
@Nicole and @Anonymous: I feel badly that you guys had subpar results with the recipe. Like I said, I didn’t think these were as soft and gooey as cinnamon rolls, but mine weren’t dry or tough either. The only things I can think of that are that either they were in the oven a minute or two too long (which can definitely make a difference in this recipe) or that too much flour was added.
I will say that mine got more dry and heavy on subsequent days, but I thought 20 seconds or so in the microwave made them soft and gooey again.
I’m going to make these tonight! I only have 2% milk on hand…. do you think it can work as a substitute for the buttermilk?
@reenasliving: I probably wouldn’t substitute regular milk for the buttermilk. Do you have vinegar or lemon juice on hand? You can make your own buttermilk if so – here’s a link with instructions:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757