Cinnamon Muffins with Glaze (Gluten-Free)
Soft, cinnamon muffins with all the cozy flavor of a cinnamon roll—no yeast or rising time required. Finished with a thick cream cheese drizzle (thicker than icing, thinner than frosting) for the perfect sweet finish.
Servings: 12
Calories: 286kcal
Equipment
- muffin liner papers regular or tulip
- #30 disher/cookie scoop optional but really handy and inexpensive
- Flour sifter optional but easier than a sieve
- Digital scale optional but accurate
Ingredients
Cinnamon sugar swirl
- ⅓ cup packed golden brown sugar or golden monk fruit blend
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- pinch salt
Muffins
- 2 ½ cups GF flour blend (11 ounces) I use King Arthur Gluten-free M4M, has xanthan gum.
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (only for flour blends without it)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon preferably Vietnamese cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze (optional)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit blend
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
Getting started
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line the muffin pan with paper liners, tulip papers or regular.
- Make the cinnamon sugar swirl by blending sugar and cinnamon. Save until needed.
Mix dry ingredients
- Sift the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, into a bowl using a flour sifter or a fine sieve. **If your gluten-free flour blend does not have xanthan gum, add ½ teaspoon.Note - For the most accurate results, weigh the flour. If measuring by cups, stir the flour first to aerate it, then scoop and level.
Mix wet ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Rest the batter for 20 minutes to hydrate the batter. Batter will be thick but scoopable.
Portion the batter, layer in cinnamon sugar
- The #30 cookie scoop makes portioning quick and neat; use 2 scoops per muffin cup. If you don’t have one, use a spoon or measuring cup and add about 2 tablespoons at a time. Add 1 scoop of batter to each muffin well, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon cinnamon sugar, then top with a second scoop of batter. Finish with another ½ teaspoon cinnamon sugar and swirl the top lightly with the tip of a paring knife or table knife.
Bake muffins
- Bake muffins at 375°F for 22-25 minutes. Muffins are done when tops spring back when touched and a tester comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter), 205°F - 210°F. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
Add drizzle if using (optional)
- Stir powdered sugar (or powdered monk fruit) until smooth and thick-but-spoonable, then drizzle over cooled muffins.
Notes
Cinnamon Notes:
- "Cinnamon" is cassia—classic, warm, and totally fine for baking.
- Ceylon (“true cinnamon”) is lighter and more delicate, so the flavor is softer.
- Vietnamese (Saigon) cinnamon is bold, sweet, and very aromatic—perfect for cinnamon-forward muffins like these. This is what I use.
- Korintje is a smooth, “bakery-style” cinnamon that’s usually less intense than Vietnamese and great all-purpose.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 1mg