Freeze and bake cinnamon bun muffins

The easiest way to whip up a sweet breakfast treat!

I can’t believe I only recently learned that muffins can be frozen prior to baking (thanks to this delicious blueberry cornmeal muffin experiment), but now that I know, I’m doing it with every batch I make. This recipe was an equally intriguing experiment because I was not sure how yeasted batter – which produces more substantial and satisfying muffins –  would freeze. However, the success of these freeze and bake dinner rolls made me fairly confident it would work out really well, and it did. If you want to take these muffins to the next level, feel free to add a sprinkle of bacon bits after you drizzle the glaze on top.

Ingredients

Muffins:

• 3 cups (374 g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (134 g) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (2.65 g) ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons (11.5 g) quick-rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups (316 mL) milk
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) softened butter
• 2/3 cup (135 g) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon (2.65 g) ground cinnamon

Glaze:

• 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
• 5 – 6 teaspoons (25 – 30 mL)milk
• Few drops vanilla extract

Method

• Line 12 muffin pan compartments with paper liners and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and yeast.
• Heat the milk and butter until butter has melted and mixture is warm (but not boiling) in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
• Add milk and butter plus vanilla and beaten eggs to the flour mixture and stir until evenly blended.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan and let rest for 15 minutes. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375F while batter rests.
• While batter rests, make the topping by stirring together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, making a crumbly mixture. After the batter has rested, sprinkle a scant tablespoon of the topping over each muffin, then use the tip of a sharp knife to swirl some of the topping into the batter.
• At this point, the muffins pan can be placed in the freezer; once the unbaked muffins are frozen solid, transfer them (in their paper liners) to an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months.
• To bake, place the muffin tin in the preheated oven with a baking tray on the rack below to catch any drips. Unfrozen muffins will take between 20 – 22 minutes to bake; they are done when the a tester comes out clean or when the centre of a muffin springs back when lightly pressed. Frozen muffins (no need to thaw batter before baking) will take 23 – 26 minutes, approximately.
• Once baked, remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack. Whisk together the icing sugar, milk and vanilla to make a smooth glaze, adding a few more drops of milk if needed. Drizzle over the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 large muffins.