Muffins are the perfect breakfast. They are pretty much cupcakes, only usually significantly bigger, and definitely more socially acceptable. Not that I’d ever judge anyone for each a cupcake for breakfast, or a piece of cake for that matter. Some mornings just call for a little extra something sweet.
But, I digress. These muffins are extra special for a few reasons. First of all, they are pull-apart muffins, which is always more exciting than regular muffins. Think monkey bread, only mini-sized and less sticky. So, an overall improvement, in my humble opinion.
The second reason I’m in love with these tasty cinnamon sugar muffins is because they are so easy to make! Not only is the ingredient list incredibly manageable with just 5 ingredients – most of which you probably have on hand – but they only take about half an hour to throw together. Quick, easy, and delicious? That’s what I call a winning recipe!
For these delicious muffins, you’re going to need cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, butter, and 1 can of refrigerated French bread. That’s it. I bet you have everything except for the bread on hand!
Start by preheating your oven and spraying down a muffin tin. Then, brown the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. The butter will have a rich caramel color and smell nutty and earthy. It’s one of the secrets to why these taste so good. Who would have guessed such a simple extra step would make all the difference?
Next, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. This next part is the most difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy breezy. Place the dough on a cutting board and score it at the middle point of the roll. Score each section in the middle again, and repeat scoring sections at the halfway point, until you have 30 slits in the dough.
Next cut along the scores with a serrated knife to get the little disks. Place slices on a large sheet of parchment paper and flatten with a rolling pin. Brush each disc with melted butter, then dip buttered slices into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
From there, all you have to do is stack 5-6 pieces of dough on top of each other, then cut each stack in half and place both sections cut side down in a muffin tin. Repeat with remaining dough until all cups of the muffin tin are filled.
Pop these bad boys in the oven for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a new go-to breakfast treat!
5-Ingredient Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 can (11 oz) refrigerated French bread
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350° and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray; set aside.
- Brown butter in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. (The butter will turn a caramel color and smell nutty). Let cool while moving on to the next step.
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
- Place dough on a cutting board and score the dough at the middle point of the roll. Score each section in the middle again, and repeat scoring sections at the halfway point, until you have 30 slits in the dough.
- Using a very sharp serrated knife, slice the dough into discs using these score marks as guides. Place slices on a large sheet of parchment paper and flatten with a rolling pin.
- Brush each disc with melted butter, then dip buttered slices into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Add any remaining butter and sugar mixture to the prepared muffin tin.
- Stack 5-6 pieces of dough on top of each other, then cut each stack in half and place both sections cut side down in a muffin tin. Repeat with remaining dough until all cups of the muffin tin are filled.
- Put the muffin tin on a sheet pan before sticking it in the oven to catch any butter or sugar while baking. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
Recipe adapted from Tablespoon.