Bakery Style Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

This copycat Dunkin Donuts coffee cake muffin recipe is so good for a breakfast treat or dessert. With a crumb topping and pecans they’re easy to make at home. Fluffy, bakery style and best served with a cup of Joe.

Coffee Cake Muffins

If you have made our Instant Pot coffee cake you are going to love these! Yes you use your oven to bake these but since they aren’t in a bundt pan they bake quicker and are easier for busy mornings to serve. I know you have had a lot of those like we have recently.

Looking to eat healthier, you can use our healthy coffee cake recipe and make into smaller hand held breakfasts too. Bakes faster which we love and not as long. Saves well too so you can enjoy them for a few mornings with your kiddos.

Bakery Style Coffee Cake Muffins

Boy how I do love my stand up mixer. It seriously makes things so much easier on me, especially when the kids want to be involved. I would recommend it if you don’t have one but can use a hand mixer will work as well if you’d rather.

There is one main add in you can load up on or omit all together if you want. That would come to nut or not to nut. You can go with walnuts, slivers of almonds or this time is featured crushed pecans. Plain works or you can go all out with honey roasted too.

Add into the batter AND the top, or do one of them only. I am not a huge nut lover inside my baked goods at all but I do love it on top of the crumb topping itself. The sweeter the better on top if you ask me, breakfast is all about goodness and getting you going for the day.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

Ok so this is what we used to make the batter. You can buy buttermilk at the store or make your own. Instead of just using milk this brings an added richness and moisture to your baked goods.

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour
2. Milk + lemon juice will create buttermilk
3. Butter
4. Brown sugar
5. Eggs are better added at room temperature
6. White granulated sugar
7. Baking powder
8. Cinnamon and salt
9. Vanilla extract
10. Chopped candied pecans are optional but great

Two medium bowls and a small bowl (for the topping) are needed to blend the dry ingredients and wet in another. Then slowly incorporate the two to make a smooth batter. Then you’ll use muffin cups and a pan.

Why do they call it coffee cake?

There isn’t your favorite black drink in it, but it is because a cup of coffee is usually what is served with it. You could add a ground Tbsp. in it if you liked that added flavor and a bit of caffeine you could. Something that differentiates it from other styles is a muffin crumb topping on top.

If you like walnuts instead then swap those in instead. Typically I don’t like to mix crunchy with something that is supposed to be moist and soft. Many times I don’t add any sort of nuts in or on a cake. One exception is pumpkin banana muffins with a crumble topping.

Copycat Dunkin Donuts Coffee Cake Muffins

When you prepare these for baking you’re going to layer the muffin batter with the topping. Ensure you preheat oven beforehand so they bake at an even temperature throughout the whole cook time.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together milk and lemon juice to create buttermilk. Set aside. In a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk in soft butter. Whisk in buttermilk. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk flour mixture into batter until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut butter into small pieces and fold into sugar mixture until it resembles large crumbs.
4. Grease muffin pan. To create coffee cake layers: scoop batter into each muffin space only 1/3 to 1/2 filled.
5. Sprinkle streusel topping over the batter. Scoop remaining batter onto streusel topping and then cover with more streusel topping. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Now bake about 20 minutes and then check for doneness with a toothpick by inserting into center. (or touch in center and if it springs back it is done). If muffins are not done, bake another 2 minutes and check again. When done, allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the muffins are baking you can make other things for your brunch you can try some dalgona coffee to serve your guests. We love sour cream muffins as well with blueberries.

I personally don’t think anything else is necessary when enjoying these other than a drink but my mom insists on some melted butter dripping down the sides after cutting it in half. Ok so that is a great bit of YUM too I must admit.

Why muffins are better than cake?

• They take a whole lot less time to bake for sure. You are talking 20 minutes versus an hour for a loaf or bundt cake using a similar batter.
• It is easier to serve these babies that don’t need to be sliced or cut into pieces for serving. They already are wrapped in a little muffin wrapper so you can just grab one and go on your way for the day.
• Everyone gets that nice crispy layer all the way around the outside of each one, instead of just the end pieces.

You can add a crumb topping like we do with pumpkin streusel muffins to some and not others. This means everyone gets it just as they love it. Same goes with the nuts. My family typically likes crushed pecans and/or walnuts in their baked goods but I do not. SO this way I can easily adjust what is included on top of each one. I can make a dozen with, and one without so everyone can be happy about their breakfast.

Other Muffins with Streusel Topping

I will sometimes add this on top to our Dunkin donut muffins too. They are similar to the ones you order like the Dunkin’ Donuts bites you can get there. I like just cinnamon sugar and others like a lot more on top. These and cinnamon roll muffins are great to try next time you want a baking day with kids too for sure. Always a hit and simple to make.

Storing Leftover Muffins

If you do have a few or a lot left over you want to ensure they are stored in a sealed container. The best method to make sure all the air it out around your baked goods is to use a gallon freezer bag. Add them in flat into one layer, zip closed almost all the way and then suck the air out with the remaining small pinch left open.

Store on your countertop and NOT in the fridge so they maintain the utmost moistness. Enjoying within the next 2 days is ideal. Only take one out at a time and eliminate the air every time you close it back up.