These Cinnabon Muffins have all the irresistible flavor of classic cinnamon-y sweet buns, just made a little healthier. Additionally, muffins are much easier to make!
Cinnamon Buns, meet your easier-to-make, healthier counterpart: Cinnamon Bun Muffins!
This “Cinnabon” Muffin recipe came almost effortlessly. Apart from the retesting, the idea just manifested.
It went something like this: I was standing in my kitchen with an itch to bake (this happens). Oddly, rather than wanting my usual hit of chocolate baking goodness, I had a craving for cinnamony-sweet and comforting.
Within a half-hour, these Cinnamon Bun Muffins were in the oven and diffusing the most irresistible aroma through the house!
Love vegan baking? Here are some more sweets and treats!
They remind me of Cinnabon, which is rather peculiar because I’ve never had Cinnabon. But they are how I imagine Cinnabon to taste when I’ve walked past their stands.
You could call this recipe a spin on cinnabon… spin-abon muffins? 🧐 Woah, I’ll stop right there. Let’s move on to the actual recipe!
Cinnamon Bun Muffins Q&A
- Can I use any type of cinnamon in these muffins?
- Yes! Though, I have read that the ‘special ingredient’ used by Cinnabon is the cinnamon variety called Korintje (makara) cinnamon. I haven’t ever used it, but worth a try if you are keen to compare!
- Are cinnamon buns unhealthy? Are they vegan?
- Most cinnamon buns are not vegan, unless you source a bakery that makes vegan cinnamon buns. (If you have one, lucky you!) Personally, I love the a well-made vegan cinnamon bun for an occasional treat. However, for regular baking, and snacking, yes, these muffins are much healthier.
- Can I substitute all-purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour for the spelt flour?
- You can, but you need to adjust the amount. In general, I use about 1 cup + 3 tbsp spelt for 1 cup of w/w pastry or all-purpose flour. So, here, use less wheat flour for the spelt. I’d try 1 1/4 cup.
- Can I use all oat flour instead of spelt?
- I prefer a combination of oat and spelt in baking. When all oat flour is used, it yields a ‘sticky’, almost gummy texture. But, it’s your call if you want to experiment with it and don’t mind a stickier consistency.
That’s about it, other than to mention that I love these as mini-muffins but I give you both size options in the recipe. Additionally, these cinnamon bun muffins are nut-free so make excellent adds to school lunches.
Enjoy, x Dreena
Cinnabon Muffins
The taste of Cinnabon… in a healthy muffin!
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped dates
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a mini-muffin pan (or regular) by lining with parchment paper liners. To make the cinnabon topping: In a bowl, mix together all topping ingredients. Use your fingers to work the mixture together until sticky/crumbly.To make the batter: In a large bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, salt, then sift in the baking powder and soda. Mix well. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and raisins or dates. Add wet mixture to dry, stirring through until just well combined (without overmixing).
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Transfer batter into muffin cups. I like to use a mini-muffin pan (see size note), filling 22-24. Dollop about a teaspoon or two of the topping on each, gently embedding some of the date pieces into the batter. When finished, sprinkle any remaining topping/cinnamon over the muffins. Bake for about 13 minutes, until set to the touch. Remove from oven, transfer to a cooling rack for a few minutes, then remove muffins and let cool fully on cooling rack (see note for larger muffins).
Notes
Liners: Parchment paper liners are a big help with oil-free muffins! Other liners will stick to the baked muffins, whereas parchment does not.
This post was originally published October, 2014, and has been revised for April 2021.
