Cinnamon and Walnut Muffins: Soft, Light, and Delicious!

We had an outdoor concert in the park last weekend, and it was a good evening for a picnic. The weather was nice, and the local park was buzzing with people enjoying the music. I decided to bring along a few homemade treats, with my bacon and egg pie as the main dish, but I knew I needed something sweet to finish off. So I made Cinnamon and Walnut Muffins—soft, light, and (wait for it) HUGE!

I had this idea that I wanted a muffin that was big enough to really feel like a treat, and these muffins were exactly that—light and fluffy on the inside, with the warm, comforting flavour of cinnamon and the slight crunch of toasted walnuts. They’re the kind of muffin that makes you feel like you’re having something extra special without all the fuss.

How it Worked

Of course, I couldn’t avoid a little mishap along the way. While getting the muffins out of the oven, I somehow managed to drop the tray (classic me). In the end, I only managed to save four muffins, sigh. The birds in the backyard had a feast! They really seemed to enjoy the muffin crumbs I scraped off the oven floor. What a pain, but hey, these things happen to everyone at sometime or other, right?

Next time, I think I’ll make a double batch of these muffins—just in case I have a few more “accidents.” They were a hit, and they’re definitely going on my go-to picnic list. You can make them ahead of time, they’re easy to pack, and they travel well. Plus, if you want to fancy them up, you can drizzle a little cream cheese icing over the top, but I found they were perfect on their own. Light, fluffy, and huge—just the way a muffin should be!

Recipe Card

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🍩 🍊 🧁 ✨ ⋆ ₊ ˚ ⊹ ♡ 🍩 ♡ ⊹ ˚ ₊ ⋆ ✨ 🧁 🍊 🍩

Cinnamon and Walnut Muffins

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Rating: ★★★★★
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These are soft, fluffy muffins with a cinnamon and walnut mixture swirled through the batter, and the remaining mixture used as a crumbly topping.

𝗧𝗶𝗽: For extra indulgence, try adding a few extra walnuts on top of the muffins just before baking for a crunchy finish!

Recipe Credit: Dish Magazine

Ingredients

Muffins:

• 2 ½ cups plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
• ½ cup neutral oil, such as rice bran oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Prepare the Muffin Tin: Grease a 6-hole Texas muffin tin and line each one with baking paper, making sure it sticks up above the edge of the tin. Preheat your oven to 180°C (regular bake).
2. Make the Topping: In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and melted butter to form a damp crumb-like texture. Set aside.
3. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, sea salt, and caster sugar.
4. Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
5. Combine the Two Mixtures: Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Fold in Half of Cinnamon and Walnut Topping Mix: Sprinkle in half of the cinnamon and walnut topping mix. Gently fold through the batter to create a swirl effect.
7. Assemble Muffins: Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each muffin-cup generously. Sprinkle the remaining topping on top of the batter for that crunchy, sweet finish.
8. Bake: Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
9. Serve: Once the muffins have cooled, serve with butter or optional cream cheese icing… or just as they are.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 300 calories; 16 g fat; 38 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 24 g sugar.

Optional Cream Cheese Icing

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 15mins
• Cook Time: 0mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Rating: ★★★★★
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Ingredients

• 50 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 2–3 teaspoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Prepare the Icing: In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, icing sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. If needed, add more milk to achieve a spreadable consistency.
2. Drizzle and Serve: Once the muffins have cooled, drizzle the cream cheese icing over the top and serve.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 150 calories; 8 g fat; 20 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 15 g sugar.

📌 Don’t lose it — Pin it! Save this recipe to Pinterest or share it with a friend so you can find it again. ♡ Janet