• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Camp Joy
Watch VideoRead CommentsLeave a Review

Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins

April 17, 2012 by Joy the Baker 174 Comments

IMG_5964

I saw people in bikinis today.  People.  In.  Bikinis.

Friends… apparently it’s time.  Granted, I live in Los Angeles.  It’s SunnySunTown.

Just a few days ago I was eager and ready for summer.  Summer is great, right!?  Well… I was mostly thinking about watermelon, picnics, and late night tacos.  I was NOT thinking about bikinis.  I’m not ready to think about bikinis.  I’m medium ready to think about tankinis… and that’s about as far as it goes.

I tend to have really strange reactions to seeing people in bikinis.  I make muffins.  It’s sort of a knee-jerk reaction.  People are wearing very little clothes in public?  Right… right.  I’ll be right back.  I have to go make a dozen, and eat at least two muffins. (brb. no bigs)

 IMG_5926

I want to pack these muffins with as much flavor as possible.

In my kitchen, flavor generally starts with browned butter.

The process of browning butter takes the cold stick of yellow butter, and makes it a golden brown, nutty smelling, butter liquid.

It is divinity.

IMG_5931

I made simple sugar fragrant and utterly lovely by adding fresh vanilla bean.

I split a vanilla bean, scraped out the seeds and rubbed it into granulated sugar.  I used my clean fingers.  This pretty much creates the best perfume ever.

IMG_5939

Next flavor?  Espresso!

Instant espresso powder is one of my secret weapons in the kitchen.  …I’ll throw it in the eyes on any burglar that breaks in my house.

It also adds an amazing depth to chocolate desserts.  Brownies and chocolate cakes are brilliant with just a touch of instant espresso powder re-hydrated in a bit of hot water.

In these muffins, the espresso powder isn’t hidden behind dreamy chocolate.  The coffee flavor is combined with browned butter and vanilla sugar to create… well, a dang lovely breakfast muffin batter.

IMG_5954

I filled the muffin cups halfway with the vanilla, brown butter batter… then I stirred the espresso mixture into the remaining batter and topped off the muffin cups.  Yea… vanilla and coffee in these humble little muffins.  No biggie.

IMG_5999

Streusel and cinnamon too!  It wouldn’t be coffee cake without a streusel.

These are good thinking and planning muffins.  Grab your calender and coffee… settle in.  Avoid any and all thoughts about bikinis.

IMG_6003

Or!  Put on a pair of cowboy boots and a little dress and take these muffins for brunch times.  Totally the right move.

These muffins are tender and flavorful.  The coffee flavor is alluring and not too sweet.  They’re like little cupcakes you can totally get away with enjoying in the morning.  It’s just good breakfast eating.

Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Print this Recipe!

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons istant espresso powder mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water

For the Topping

3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter.  Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan.  The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that.  Keep a close eye.  Remove from heat.

If using vanilla bean, split the vanilla bean down the center, scrape the seeds out, and in a small bowl, rub the vanilla beans into the granulated sugar.  I used my fingers and it worked like a charm.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl  Add milk and butter mixture all at once, and stir gently to combine.

Divide half of the batter among muffin cups.  Stir the espresso and water mixture into the remaining batter.  Divide the espresso batter between the twelve muffin cups.

To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them… they dry out quickly.  Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Previous PostNext Post

Categories: Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes, Vanilla

Previous Post: « Gluten-free Lunch Waffles with apples and prosciutto
Next Post: Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. nena

    October 23, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    I tried this recipe today and I was so pleased it turned out exactly like the photos and the taste was really great! I have been looking for a good coffee cake muffin made with espresso powder and some cinnamon, and I finally found it! That browned butter sure did make an excellent flavor. I also like the way these muffins rise. I have never been able to get muffins to rise before, so this is exciting. It looks just like the ones in the bakery. The only thing is maybe mine were a little too dense, like I need to Use a little less flour? Anyways, thanks so much! I see this came out around 2012 and I hope you’re still doing baking. It seems like 2012 was just yesterday, how the time flies

    Reply
  2. Ana

    January 7, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    Thanks so much for this recipe…the muffins were delicious. The coffee flavor was rather hard to pinpoint, and instead everything just melded into this breakfast-y flavor that was ever so nice:)

    Reply
  3. Sarah

    July 11, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    These were great!! So healthy & tasty! I’m on my third double batch…I can’t keep them in the house. My family loves them! I had featured u in the post of Top 7 Sweet & Savory Muffins on AllFreshRecipes, Looking forward to ur renewly post!

    Reply
  4. Mariam

    January 21, 2013 at 4:18 am

    I only discovered the wonderful world of brown butter yesterday in a cookie. OMG! Do amazing I’m never making a choc-chip cookie without it again! so you can only imagine how excited I am to make these muffins since I also love coffee and vanilla and cinnamon too!

    Espresso powder s near impossible to find here in Australia so d you honk I could sub some liquid espresso for milk of use finely ground coffee?

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. This Dark Chocolate & Almond Treat Is Crazy-Good | Most Searched Ever says:
    May 18, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    […] RELATED: Fancy Some Coffee Cake Muffins? […]

    Reply
  2. LOU IN PARIS | Midweek Mutterings says:
    April 23, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    […] Joy the Baker […]

    Reply
  3. Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake says:
    November 20, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    […] always on the lookout for new coffee cake recipes. One of my favorites is from Joy the Baker. Her Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins are so very tasty! However, my hubby is not a fan of anything coffee flavored, even those muffins, […]

    Reply
  4. Coffee muffins with struesel | Miss Sweet Nothings says:
    September 22, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    […] My only gripe? The coffee flavour didn’t really penetrate the muffin for me. It may have been the coffee I used wasn’t strong enough, so if you have access to a coffee maker I seriously recommend using it to get a real kick of flavour. Otherwise the recipe remains unchanged from the original recipe. […]

    Reply
  5. Baby Coffee Muffins | rest//less. says:
    June 26, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    […] Recipe from Joy the Baker’s Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins. […]

    Reply
  6. Top 7 Sweet & Savory Muffins - All Fresh Recipes says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    […] This charming picture really makes us drool, right? You deserve to own them if you are eager for summer like me. All I am looking forward to are watermelon and tacos in picnics. Extremely excellent! Instant espresso powder will add a better flavor to chocolate cakes. Instead of hiding behind chocolate, the flavor is combined with butter and vanilla. Plus tender muffins, no food can match it for a breakfast. At joythebaker.com […]

    Reply
  7. Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies | Small World Supper Club says:
    March 26, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    […] butter is a thing. (And it’s not just an oops I burned the butter thing.) It’s true. Joy’s doing it. Heidi’s doing it. Deb’s been doing it for years. So I’m not sure why […]

    Reply
  8. coffee cake muffins | {sweet things} says:
    December 16, 2012 at 11:48 am

    […] my friends and coworkers. so, i’ll start with my first endeavor: coffee cake muffins, courtesy of joy the baker. these were absolutely delicious. i would make them again for a breakfast/brunch event or for a […]

    Reply
  9. Baking for coffee lovers | Bakers Select Blog says:
    November 28, 2012 at 7:32 am

    […] Coffee coffee cake muffins from Joy the Baker […]

    Reply
  10. Coffee Coffeecake Muffins « alexisabaker says:
    October 30, 2012 at 7:31 am

    […] Recipe here. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. […]

    Reply
  11. Recent Adventures « Sweet&Savory Symphony says:
    July 24, 2012 at 9:34 am

    […] marathon. Not only did I make the quinoa cakes seen above, but also baked Joy the Baker‘s Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins. Oh my, oh my, oh my! So tasty! I left mine in the oven for just a minute too long, and they dried […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Breakfast

overhead shot of Mardi Gras toast on individual vintage plates
King Cake-Inspired Easy Bostock

This Bostock toast is a delightful marriage of toast and almond croissant. Toast turns pastry.  We’re topping these toasts with orange marmalade and sliced almonds inspired by my favorite almond-filled french King Cake. It’s Mardi Gras, friends!  The big BIG weekend and Fat Tuesday are just days away and who would I be if I…

Read More

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate
How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Micro batch baking – the invitation is to get all the way into it with me!  This is all very Kristin Wiig  making herself a single, sad cupcake in the movie Bridesmaids, save for the fact that there is absolutely zero sadness in me eating a single cinnamon roll over the kitchen sink in my…

Read More

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.
Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

Think of tender breakfast rolls and cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon, scented with heavenly orange and just the right amount of warming nutmeg and ginger. Honestly if cinnamon rolls disappeared from the world, we’d all be just fine – these orange rolls hit the spot. I’m headed back to Los Angeles for the Christmas weekend…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

2023 CAMP JOY SUMMER ZINE – get it here!

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

MY FAVORITE CAMPING GEAR

Jump to Recipe

SHOP MY FAVORITE GEAR HERE! 

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

CHECK IT OUT ON INSTAGRAM

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

close up of strawberry shortcake recipe with soft whipped cream

Dad’s Biscuits Make The Best Shortcake

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

a stack of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with a bite taken out of the top one with milk

Classic White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

completed recipe close up shot of a blondie so the toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and sea salt can be seen

My Best Classic Blondie Recipe

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker, author of books, lover of butter
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
📝Inquiries megan@underscoretalent.com

joythebaker
Chai-Spiced Sugar Cookies #taylorsversion made wit Chai-Spiced Sugar Cookies #taylorsversion made with an old sugar cookie recipe I made back in 2009 (like whaaat?) and a boatload of warm autumn spiced @taylorswift added to the dough.⁣
⁣
This cookie recipe explodes on my site every September and for good reason. We’re fall girlies and we love a little nutmeg glaze. ⁣
⁣
Find the full recipe linked in the profile! Xo
I don’t know what it is about this year, but I j I don’t know what it is about this year, but I just need more light-hearted fun, more hugs, more breakfast made by mom, and more coffee walks in the sand. Let’s do autumn now, nice and steady.
🥯🥯 for the weekend, babes! Save this no-yeas 🥯🥯 for the weekend, babes! Save this no-yeast bagel magic for your Sunday morning. ⁣
⁣⁣
Two Easy No-Yeast Bagels⁣⁣
1/2 cup self-rising flour⁣⁣
4 tablespoons greek yogurt (plus a teaspoon or two more if needed)⁣
1 large egg, beaten for egg wash⁣⁣
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated gouda or gruyere⁣⁣
Everything bagel seasoning⁣⁣
3 tablespoons baking soda with 2 cups of boiling water. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper lightly with nonstick spray. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In a small bowl, use a firm spatula to work together the flour and yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of yogurt if it feels dry and knead into a cohesive ball for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with a bit more flour if it gets overly sticky. Cover with a damp paper towel and gather your toppings. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Divide dough in two and roll each piece into a roughly 8-inch rope. Bring the ends around and pinch into a circle. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Sprinkle the bottom of the prepared pan with grated cheese in two spots.  Pour boiling water over the baking soda and float each bagel in the water for 20 or so seconds.  Use a slotted spot or spatula to transfer the bagels on top of the cheese.  Brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle with more cheese and everything bagel seasoning. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and smearing with cream cheese.
The secret to really great muffins is eating them The secret to really great muffins is eating them warm, with a big smear of butter and a sprinkle flakey sea salt. ❇️ This goes for any muffin but is especially delicious on these a Vegan Carrot Zucchini Harvest Muffins because they have so many veggies they’re basically a salad. ❇️ Full recipe linked in the bio! Xo
This fall the ultimate chocolate chip cookie is pa This fall the ultimate chocolate chip cookie is packed with oats, @guittardchocolate baking wafers, and candy coated chocolate pieces from @traderjoes. ✌️ It’s the perfect weekend bake, babes! Full recipe linked in the profile!
Once September hits it’s all cozy couch dinners Once September hits it’s all cozy couch dinners starting with this creamy tomato Marry Me Chicken. Disclaimer: this chicken has yet to get me hitched. Full recipe linked in the bio, bbs! Xo
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up