Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and one question remains: Is a way to a man’s heart really through his stomach? I guess that could be up for debate. What I do know is that when I baked these Cinnamon Roll Muffins for my husband, we were both stuffing our faces with them…we even fought over the last few! 

They’re gooey, sweet and taste just like regular cinnamon rolls…but in muffin form! Baking in muffin form makes them so easy to prepare because you don’t have to worry about rolling out the dough, rolling up the dough and then cutting the dough. Instead, everything gets mixed together in the muffin tin cups and the result is mouth-watering. Seriously, it really is. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about them…mmm…

…anyway, enough daydreaming for now, back to the recipe…Bake these Cinnamon Roll Muffins on Valentine’s Day morning and I swear your sweetheart will fall in love with you all over again.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoon dry or rapid rise yeast
• 2/3 cup warm milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoon(s) milk

Directions:

1. DO NOT preheat oven.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
3. In a separate, small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk.
4. Stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture; Mix until smooth.
5. Grease muffin pan (it’s best not to use muffin cups), pour batter into pan and let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Mix together butter, dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl using a fork; Mix until all the butter is incorporated and crumbly.
7. Once dough is done resting, sprinkle sugar filling evenly over the top of the dough. Using your fingertips, press filling into the dough.
8. Place in a cold oven, shut the door and set the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for at least 20 minutes — until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed.
9. Remove muffins from pan, place on a wire rack and allow to cool.
10. Drizzle icing (how to prepare icing: whisk together powdered sugar and milk) over tops of muffins.

They tend to be on the smaller side so pile them up on a plate, warm them up and serve with butter. It doesn’t get much better than that!

* Recipe adapted from Baking Bites