The cinnamon crunch muffins are my favorite out of those giant muffin assortments at Costco.  I made my own healthier version with less fat and multigrain flours.  They still taste rich and delicious.

Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Servings: makes 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For the Cinnamon Chips:

-1/3 cup sugar – natural prefered (I used coconut xylose, which has a lower glycemic index and is available in Korea!)

-1 1/2 Tbls ground cinnamon

-1 Tbls honey

-1 Tbls butter, organic shortening, or coconut oil (I love coconut oil, but it’s hard to find in Korea)

*Cinnamon Chip Recipe adapted from here.

For the Muffins:

-1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

-1 1/4 cups oats (or add 1 cup of white wheat flour for 1 1/2 cups total white wheat flour)

-1/2 cup white wheat flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 1/4 cups natural sugar ( I used coconut xylose here too)

1/3 cup canola oil

-2 eggs

-3/4 cup milk

-3/4 cup vanilla/plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream (not usually available in Korea)

-2 tsp vanilla extract (or 5-6 drops concentrate)

Glaze:

-1/2 cup powdered sugar

-2 Tbls sweetened condensed milk (or milk)

-1 tsp ground cinnamon

-2 tsp egg white powder (optional, it helps the glaze harden)

Directions:

For the Cinnamon Chips:

1) Combine the ingredients together in a pan over medium heat until everything is melted together and slightly bubbly, about 1-2 minutes. Pour the mixture out onto a plate or sheet lined with parchment paper to let cool.

2) Once the chips are cool in about 15 minutes, you can cut them up into little square pieces or ‘chips.’

For the Muffins:

1) Use a blender to pulse and grind the oats into a flour, it takes about 30 seconds.

2) Combing the oat flour, wheat flour, white flour, baking powder and baking soda together.

3) Combine the sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, salt, canola oil, and vanilla together.

4) Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until there are no more lumps.

5) Stir in the cinnamon chips.

6) Put about 1/4 cup of the batter into your muffin cups, then bake for 12-15 minutes at about 215 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  *You could also make mini loaves if you wanted, bake for about 25-30 minutes.

7) Remove the muffins and let cool for at least 15 minutes before glazing.

8) For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon and egg white powder.  Put into a plastic baggie or food writing pen to make designs.

9) Glaze the muffins and enjoy!

Below are the ingredients used in this recipe.  All the basic ingredients can be found at home plus.  The cinnamon can be found in the spice or baking sections.  The oats and egg white powder can be purchased on gmarket.

Nutrition Information Comparison

For 1 Cinnamon Chip Muffin:

170 Calories. 4.8 g Fat, 0.9 g Saturated Fat, 18.9 mg Cholesterol, 131.1 mg Sodium, 30.2 g Carbohydrates, 2 g Fiber, 18 g Sugars, 3.2 g Protein.

For 1/2 Costco Cinnamon Crunch Muffin:

310 Calories, 16 g Fat, 5 g Saturated Fat, 53 mg Cholesterol, 305 mg Sodium, 38 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Fiber, 22 g Sugars, 4 g Protein. *Nutrition Information from myfitnesspal.com

Filed under: Baked Goods