These simple eggnog cinna-muffins are a hybrid of cinnamon roll in the convenience of a muffin! They have the delicious flavor of eggnog and are topped with a creamy, maple sweetened glaze!
Hey, friends! Can you believe that Christmas is only a couple of days away?! Crazy to think about how fast this year has gone by! I have a delicious recipe for you that would be perfect to include in your Christmas or New Year’s brunch: Eggnog Cinna-Muffins!
It’s like a cinnamon roll, but in the convenience of a muffin. They’re great for a crowd and make an easy grab-and-go snack or dessert. They also have the subtle flavor eggnog, which combined with cinnamon and cream cheese is nothing short of amazing!
These eggnog cinna-muffins are made with regular unbleached all-purpose flour and since I’m not strictly gluten-free, I will be incorporating more recipes with regular flour for all of my non gluten-free family and friends! They are free of refined sugars and if you use the dairy-free alternatives listed, can easily be made dairy-free as well! I even have a Dairy-Free Eggnog Recipe Here!
I use coconut sugar mixed with cinnamon for the yummy filling. I also sweetened the dough and glaze with maple syrup! You can’t even tell a difference, seriously!
If you make these eggnog cinna-muffins, you must use the dental floss trick to cutting each one. It makes for perfectly cut slices and they don’t get smooshed from cutting with a knife. If you have unflavored dental floss, I suggest using that, otherwise it may leave a slight minty flavor, which may or may not be detectable after baking. I’ve also used a piece of cleaned thread with success.
You can put these eggnog cinna-muffins in a greased muffin tin or use this tutorial to make these nifty parchment paper wrappers or regular muffin liners. As they rise in the pan they should puff up and when baked turn into these cool, wonky cinna-muffins!
I like to top these with a maple syrup sweetened cream cheese glaze, but you can leave them plain as well. They’re delicious either way, especially with a cup of hot tea!
Enjoy, friends, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday with the ones you love. Merry Christmas!
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Eggnog Cinna-Muffins
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 14-16 muffins 1x
Description
These treats are a hybrid of cinnamon roll in the convenience of a muffin! They have the delicious flavor of eggnog and are topped with a creamy, maple sweetened glaze!
Ingredients
Dough:
- 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one .25 oz envelope)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, optional
- 1 1/4 cup warm eggnog (about 110 degrees F) Dairy-Free Recipe Here
- 1/4 cup butter (very soft, can use dairy-free butter) or oil of choice
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
Filling:
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup butter (can be dairy-free) softened
- 1/3 cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
:Glaze:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (use dairy-free if needed)
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–3 tablespoons eggnog or milk of choice, just until desired consistency is reached
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, add the eggnog and stir just until warm (about 110ºF) Remove sauce pan from the heat and stir in the maple syrup and yeast. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. Should be foamy.
- Meanwhile, combine together 2 cups of the flour, salt, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and mix to combine. Mix in the egg. Begin adding flour slowly, by the 1/2 cupfuls, just until dough begins to hold together. Continue sprinkling flour in little by little until a soft dough forms. The amount of total flour varies on the humidity in your area, so it’s best to add it a little at a time to prevent adding too much.
- Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. Place ball of dough into a clean and lightly greased mixing bowl to rise. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours, until double in size.
- Combine coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Punch down the risen dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out into a large rectangle with a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour. Use a pastry brush to spread the softened butter all over the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture all over the butter. Starting from the longest side of the rectangle, begin rolling up the dough as tightly as possible. Pinch the dough together at the end to close.
- To cut the rolls, I prefer to use plain dental floss instead of a knife. It cuts them easily without squishing the rolls. To do this, cut a piece of floss about 12-16 inches long. Slide floss under the roll and bring the ends up and cross over each other to cut each slice cleanly. Place rolls, cut side up, in greased muffin pan. You can also use muffin liners or follow this tutorial to make parchment paper liners, like in the photos above. This recipe makes a few over a dozen rolls. If you don’t have an extra muffin tin, you can place the extra rolls into a lightly greased/buttered round cake/pie pan. Cover pans with a kitchen towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and place pan in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the oven and let rise 30 minutes to one hour before baking.
- TIP: If your home is on the cooler side, you can make a warm environment for the bread to rise by boiling water and pouring it into a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Alternatively, you can turn the oven on to the lowest setting (on my oven it’s 170ºF) for a few minutes. Turn the oven off and place the pans, covered with the towel, on the middle rack of the oven. Close the oven door and let rise until the dough has risen to almost double in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the muffin pans and the pan of water from the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes or until muffins are puffed and a light golden brown. Let pans cool on a wire for 10-15 minutes while you make the glaze.
- To make the glaze, blend the softened cream cheese with a mixer until creamy. Slowly mix in maple syrup until well blended. Add the vanilla and eggnog a tablespoon at a time until it gets to your desired consistency. Spoon glaze over the top of each muffin.
- Prep Time: 90 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Bread, Dessert
Great recipe, and I’m completely won over by those lovely parchment paper cups! Though I would definitely want to try and make it gluten-free for my enjoyment 😉 Pinned for later experimentation! Hope you’re having a lovely Christmas holiday.
Oh my goodness, these cinna-muffins are soooo beautiful Joscelyn! I could eat the whole batch right now! Yum! Pinned <3
Those are beautiful Joseclyn. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and your lovely family.
I really need to make these sometime, they will be gone in minutes, looks amazing. Btw, I’m so glad gluten is not bothering you much. I know it can be painful.
Hugs my friend.
xx
These look so perfect for Christmas, yum! Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas Joscelyn!
Oh my goodness, I need these in my life! I will definitely be making these at some point in the future! 🙂
These look awesome!!!! We love cinnamon rolls at our house so this sounds like a great version to try. Who knows, I may have found our new tradition for Christmas morning! Yum!! 🙂 BasicallyBrooke.com
This looks insane and completely dangerous for me haha ! I would need to make these around family so I couldn’t sneak them all for myself 🙂 Glad gluten seems to not be bothering you as much lately and you’re getting to incorporate it back in! I’m on a strike phase because my inflammation has been going wild but hoping to get back there soon. These would be so good on Christmas morning- thanks for sharing!
These look delightful, I must make them over Christmas break!! I have most of the ingredients. Dental floss for cutting…brilliant! The parchment paper makes each of these muffins look like a gift, which they are, so perfect!