Homemade Spice Muffins with Oatmeal Crunch Topping
Make-ahead spice muffins with oatmeal topping are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snack. This recipe creates a moist, mildly sweet, cake-like texture that’s balanced by a crunchy streusel top. Make them from scratch the night before a brunch party for easy entertaining.
There are so many varieties and flavors of muffins, making them popular for brunch parties, plus they’re the perfect size! This recipe has warm baking spices like cinnamon and cloves, is lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and the oatmeal streusel topping is addictive!
Make these when you’re hosting overnight guests and need something for the breakfast bar, or when you’re hosting a Sunday brunch for friends or family. You’ll find that these muffins are not overly sweet – just sweet enough! A dollop of honey or jam goes really well with them, and they’re great with hot coffee or tea.
Ingredient Notes
Check your pantry and fridge before shopping. Make sure you have molasses, ground cloves, and other baking staples.
Whole wheat flour. I use whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour normally called for. It adds a depth of flavor that white flour doesn’t. You cannot substitute the flour completely but this guide tells you how to make adjustments.
Buttermilk. I use low fat but you can certainly use regular.
Quick-cooking oats. These are best for toppings; do not use instant oatmeal for this.
Spreadable fruit. This is the secret surprise inside but you can make them without if you don’t want to do the extra step. Spreadable fruit has less sugar, but you can also use traditional jam or preserves.
How to Make Them
See full instructions in recipe card below.
When you make these muffins you’ll combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately before combining them together.
NOTE: The brown sugar is mixed with the wet ingredients.
- Mix dry ingredients (except brown sugar) together in a bowl, using a whisk.
- Combine the buttermilk, oil, molasses, egg, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine.
- Fill a muffin tin partially with the batter, and make a small depression in the center of the batter using a spoon. Add a dollop of spreadable fruit to the center, and top with more batter.
- Make the topping in a small bowl, and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Press the topping down a little so it adheres to the batter. Bake as directed.
Quick Tip
To save time, you can make these without the fruit center. Just fill the muffin tins with the batter and bake as directed. They’ll be delicious and you can always serve them with the fruit spread on the side.
Serving Suggestions
For weekend brunch, include vegetable quiche, and deviled eggs with bacon for a protein boost. Serve this family friendly sparkling fruit punch to wash it all down.
And of course you’ll want to have plenty of coffee and tea or a hot beverage bar.
These cake-like muffins are terrific for Easter brunch or Mothers Day brunch, and they make the perfect treat to add to your tea party ideas.
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Spice Muffins with Oatmeal Topping Recipe
These spice muffins combine cinnamon and cloves with an oatmeal streusel topping for a delicious breakfast or snack. Make these for brunch parties or when hosting overnight guests.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup buttermilk, low fat or whole is fine
- ⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Mazola Corn Oil
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 small jar of spreadable fruit preserves
Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons quick-cooking oats
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Mix well with a whisk.
- In a large bowl whisk together buttermilk, brown sugar, corn oil, molasses, and egg, until well combines.
- Gradually add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and stir until moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX.
- Divide batter among 12 muffin cups, filling about 1/4 inch.
- Add a dollop of preserves to the center of the muffin cup, on top of batter.
- Divide remaining batter among muffin cups to cover the fruit preserves; about 2/3 full
- Combine oatmeal topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over each muffin cup pressing down gently to adhere to batter.
- Bake 18 - 20 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out to cool completely.
Notes
You can eliminate the spreadable fruit if you want to save prep time. Serve the preserves on the side along with the muffins.
Looks so yummy, perfect as a snack or breakfast!