Vanilla Buttermilk Spice Muffins

Making baked goods for my family is a little tricky. I like intense flavors, my husband likes mild flavors, and my kids…well, it depends on the day. These muffins are one of the few baked goods that everyone will eat.

I found a recipe for Buttermilk Spice Muffins years ago on the Mimi’s Café website (it doesn’t appear that the recipe is still posted there). I’ve made it a few times and have discovered that adding some vanilla gives the muffins a little extra flavor, but it doesn’t make their flavor too complex or too intense for someone like my husband.

Ingredients

For the muffin batter

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

For the streusel topping

• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the muffin batter

Heat the oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Once they are thoroughly mixed, add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

While mixing at a low speed, add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed butter mixture alternately, in small amounts. Continue mixing at a low speed until the batter is smooth.

For the streusel topping

Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

To complete the muffins

Grease a muffin pan or line it with paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Place a tablespoon of streusel topping onto the batter in each cup.

Bake for 18-23 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Yield: 12 muffins.

Notes

These muffins aren’t flashy or super sweet, but they have a great comforting flavor. It’s nearly spring here, but they really make me think of fall. They’d be great alongside a cup of warm apple cider!

As you can see from the pictures, my muffins don’t have a large crowned top. This is because I only fill the muffin cups about 1/2 full before adding the streusel topping when I make them. I do this because smaller muffins are a little easier for my young kids to handle! Doing it this way gets me about 18 muffins instead of the 12 noted in the recipe. However, if you fill each muffin cup as directed in the recipe, you’ll get a dozen muffins.

If you want a muffin that has a more intense spice flavor, then feel free to use larger amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg. You can also add nuts to these (the original recipe called for nuts in the streusel topping). They are great plain or with a little butter spread on them. They are perfect to eat alongside breakfast or as a snack.

What yummy muffins have you enjoyed recently?

Shared at the following:

Creative Inspirations, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, and Encouraging Hearts and Home.