Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
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These are the most delicious Cinnamon Raisin Muffins EVER! The muffins are light, moist, speckled with raisins, and topped with cinnamon-sugar. They are quick and easy to make, and are perfect after-school snacks or to have on hand for on the go!
This recipe first appeared on the blog back in 2014. I’ve had a lot of time to tweak and modify it – and I’m pretty sure now that I have created the perfect raisin muffin recipe.
The trick to getting puffy tops on the muffins is to work fast! Get them into the oven as quickly as possible after mixing the batter.
This is the cinnamon raisin muffin of your dreams. It’s buttery and tender. It is loaded with plump raisins. And the extra cinnamon sugar over the top takes it to another level.
The great thing about this recipe is you can use any dried fruit you would like, so don’t worry if you aren’t a raisin fan. If you are a raisin fan, you also need to try my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe or my cinnamon raisin bread.
But I digress. Back to muffins. When working with basic muffins, it is best to work quickly. Once you mix the wet and dry ingredients together, the baking powder begins to react. This means you can’t waste any time getting those muffins into the oven. Otherwise, you risk having muffins without the best part of the muffin – the muffin top.
Also, to keep the raisins super plump, they need to be soaked in boiling water for about 10 minutes before adding them to the muffin batter. Do this step first, before you even begin mixing the batter. Drain them after their spa bath, and they’ll be ready to use but won’t dry out during baking.
I hope you love these muffins as much as I do!
Recipe Snapshot
TASTE: Like cinnamon raisin bread in a muffin form.
TEXTURE: Light and moist with a crunchy brown sugar top.
EASE: Muffins are easy! They’re a great beginner recipe.
TIME: About 40 minutes total.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Raisins – Use traditional or golden raisins. They’ll need to be plumped up in water before baking.
- All-purpose flour – I think this recipe works best with all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder – This is the leavening in this recipe.
- Salt – I prefer kosher salt when baking.
- Ground cinnamon – Provides the cinnamon flavor and is used in the muffins and for the topping.
- Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness, keeps the muffins moist, and is used in the topping.
- Granulated sugar – For extra sweetness.
- Melted butter– I always use unsalted sweet cream butter in baking.
- Egg– Just one. Make it large and have it at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Make your own using this recipe or use pure extract, not artificial.
- Whole milk – At room temperature.
How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
These muffins are made using my basic technique for muffins with a few tweaks. So good! Preheat your oven to 400°F and line your muffin pan with paper liners before you get started.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Plump the raisins. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add raisins. Let sit for 10 minutes to plump the raisins. Drain well.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Stir with a whisk to combine. Make a well in the center.
- Mix wet ingredients and combine. Use a large measuring cup with a pour spout and whisk the butter, egg, vanilla, and milk together. Pour into the center of the flour mixture. Fold everything together until just moistened then mix in the raisins.
- Bake. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Make the topping by mixing the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle it over the batter in the muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Handy tip:
Don’t skip the step where you soak the raisins. This plumps them up and helps prevent burning as they bake. The plump raisins will also add moisture to the muffin.
Tips For Success
- Flour: For best taste and texture, I recommend all-purpose flour. If you try whole wheat flour, let me know how they turn out!
- Butter: I used unsalted sweet cream butter. Because it is melted, coconut oil or any flavorless oil will work with this recipe.
- Milk: I tested these with regular whole milk, but any milk, dairy or nondairy, can work.
Storage & Freezing
Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days – though I doubt they’ll last that long. Who has ever walked by a muffin on the counter and not taken one? Or you can hide them in your fridge for up to 1 week.
The muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins
- ¾ cup (108 g) raisins
- 1 ¾ cups (227 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, room temperature
For the topping
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add raisins. Let sit for 10 minutes to plump the raisins. Drain well and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Stir with a whisk to combine. Make a well in the center.
- In a 4 cup measuring cup with a pour spout whisk the butter, egg, vanilla, and milk together until well blended. Pour into the center of the flour mixture. Fold everything together until just moistened. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in the raisins.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Mix the the cinnamon and sugar for the topping together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the batter in muffin cup. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Flour: For best taste and texture, I recommend all-purpose flour. If you try whole wheat flour, let me know how they turn out!
- Butter: I used unsalted sweet cream butter but coconut oil or any flavorless oil will work with this recipe.
- Milk: I tested these with regular whole milk, but any milk, dairy or nondairy, can work.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
The only time when you actually WANT a muffin top! Hah hah!
Actually, I had no idea about working quickly when baking muffins. You are SUCH a great baker, Jen. And I want to dive into a plate of these muffins. They sound perrrrfect.
For real! There are actually times when a muffin top isn’t such a bad thing!!
good luck with the move Jen, hope everything goes well! The muffins look great, too bad baking at a high temperature didn’t work for you..It always works for me. Pinning this!
These muffins look great, I love the streusel topping. And cinnamon and raisins is always good! Good luck with the move, hope everything goes smoothly for you!
Congrats on the move! I hope it’s as quick and easy as possible for you! I’m also a streuselholic and immediately fell in love with the recipe. They really do need to have a support group for us streusel addicts. lol
Yay, congrats and good luck with the move, Jen! Hope everything goes smoothly and you guys are enjoying your new house 🙂 Love these muffins, they look positively amazing especially with all that streusel!
Thank you, Kelly. We are just about settled in all the way. I’m ready to get back to work. I’ve missed my readers! 😀
CONGRATS on the move! Sending great vibes your way that all your pretty things arrive safely!
Thanks, Kelly!
I love the flavor of these muffins, Jen! Sounds delicious! And I actually bake most of my muffins at 425F for 5 minutes, and then decrease the temp to 375 and they usually turn out nice and fluffy! That’s too bad that it didn’t work out to your expectations, but they still look incredible!
It could have been my oven. I plan on testing it out again with my new oven. Fingers crossed for better results next time.
Congratulations on the move! I hope you’re able to settle in smoothly and quickly. These muffins look amazing! Hey, I’m a streuselholic too! Maybe we should start a support group… 🙂
Thanks Erin! We’ve been working non stop to get settled in. We’re almost done. Yes! I need a support group for my streusel addiction, hahaha.
Jen, you and your husband must be so excited! I can’t wait to hear how you’ve settled in your new house:) I hope any snow that’s fallen this weekend won’t interfere with your moving plans… These muffins sound perfect for the colder weather we’ve been having around here! Love how you used vanilla bean paste and lightened them up with Greek yogurt:)
Thank you Heather! We are almost completely settled. And so far, no snow. 🙂
CONGRATS on the move! Sending great vibes your way that all your pretty things arrive safely!