I love cinnamon. I love Nutella. And I love muffins. So it made perfect sense to combine the three. This recipe began as an attempt to make cinnamon donuts, then evolved into Nutella cupcakes, and finally settled on Nutella-filled cinnamon-sugar muffins inspired by a recipe I found online. They’re fun to make and absolutely delicious.
These muffins can be made with whole wheat flour, though that can make them a bit denser; I’ll save that experiment for another day. I doubled the original recipe and adjusted proportions slightly to yield 12 generous muffins. Using a six-cup tray meant I had to bake in two batches and let the batter rest briefly between fills. On a hot day the Nutella and batter can get soft quickly, so I even moved to an air-conditioned room while preparing them.
They take a little longer than a simple pour-and-bake muffin, but the extra steps are worth it for the texture and flavor.
Ingredients
For the muffins
2/3 cup unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit added salt)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 spoonful Nutella per muffin (small or large—use as much as you like)
For the cinnamon-sugar topping (adjust to taste)
4 tsp ground cinnamon
Just under 1/2 cup powdered sugar
About 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (about 390°F). While some recipes call for changing temperatures during baking, these muffins bake beautifully at a steady temperature. Grease your muffin pan or line with paper liners and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until soft and fluffy. A stand mixer, hand mixer or food processor works best—the batter can get thick if mixed entirely by hand.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and milk and mix until combined. The mixture may appear slightly curdled at this point; that’s normal.
5. Add the dry flour mixture and the ground cinnamon, then mix until just combined. Taste the batter and adjust sweetness if needed. I often add only three-quarters of the sugar early on to avoid over-sweetening, since the Nutella and the cinnamon-sugar coating will add extra sweetness.
6. Spoon about one tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Place a spoonful of Nutella in the center of each, then cover with another heaped tablespoon of batter. The cups will look full but the muffins rise nicely without overflowing, forming a tall top with a crisp crust.
7. Bake for around 10 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and you may see small cracks where the Nutella peeks through.
8. Remove the muffins from the oven and transfer to a wire rack or plate to cool slightly. After about 10 minutes, combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
9. Melt the butter, then dip the top of each warm muffin in the butter and roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.
10. Allow them to cool a little more if you prefer, or enjoy them warm so the Nutella is gooey and melty.
These muffins are a delightful balance of tender crumb, gooey Nutella center and a crunchy cinnamon-sugar coating. They store well for a day or two at room temperature in an airtight container, or you can gently rewarm them for that fresh-baked feel.
I like to use polka-dot cupcake holders for presentation and easy transport—especially helpful when carrying them without sticking together.