Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins
These Honey Bun Coffee Cake Muffins are the best of both worlds: soft sour cream muffins swirled with a cinnamon-sugar ripple, topped with a crunchy brown sugar streusel, and finished with a sweet honey glaze. They’re easy to make with pantry staples, bake up in under 45 minutes, and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy snack with coffee.
Equipment
- muffin tin
Ingredients
Streusel topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes
Muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Honey glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Streusel topping
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cubed butter. Toss everything together then rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers. You can also use a pastry blender or a fork.
- The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces throughout. Transfer to the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a muffin tin with flour based baking spray, or line with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs, sugar, sour cream, milk, honey, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir together with a spoon or a rubber spatula. Mix until just combined – don’t overmix! (Or muffins will be tough!)
- Remove 3/4 cup of the batter to a separate medium mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix together until a consistent dark brown sugar batter is achieved.
- Fill each muffin cup about halfway with the plain batter. Add a slightly heaping 1 tablespoon of the dark brown sugar batter over the plain batter in each cup. Top with the remaining plain batter, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
- Use a butter knife or skewer to lightly swirl the batters in each cup together. Top the muffins with the cold streusel mixture, adding 1 slightly heaping tablespoon on top of each muffin. (This will seem like too much, but it works!)
- Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Honey glaze
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, honey, and milk. The mixture should be thick but still pourable.
- Drizzle the honey glaze over the warm muffins. Allow the glaze to set slightly before serving, or let them cool completely.
Notes
Storage Suggestions:
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm slightly before serving for the best flavor and texture.
To freeze, wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 15–20 seconds before glazing or serving.
If making ahead, you can glaze the muffins just before serving to keep the topping fresh and glossy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!