French Toast Muffins

Whenever I find myself overwhelmed by the school year’s projects, parties, and sports practices, I take solace in baking muffins. Let’s call it muffin therapy. Usually, it’s recipes like banana muffins, blueberry muffins, and swirled cinnamon muffins. The latter is similar to the French toast muffins we’re baking today. 

These muffins don’t just taste like French toast – they have French toast pieces baked right on top! The topping is soaked in custard, and inside is a moist, tender cinnamon muffin made with pantry ingredients.

The Beauty of These French Toast Muffins, Explained

• Two breakfast favorites in one. This recipe has all the cinnamon spice flavor of French toast baked into soft, fluffy homemade muffins, complete with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar.
• Soft for days. These muffins are just as tender and flavorful after 2-3 days, which is like a lifetime in muffin terms!
• Crowd-pleasing. If you’ve been looking for a good, nay, GREAT French toast muffin recipe, this is it. Bake them for brunch, store them for easy breakfasts, or slather a warm muffin with butter to have with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Ingredients Needed

These ar the ingredients you’ll need to round up for this French toast muffins recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable details including ingredient amounts.

• Milk, Egg, and Vanilla – Together, these ingredients make a custard to soak the topping just like you’d use for traditional French toast. I recommend pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste for the best results. You’ll also need these ingredients for the muffin batter.
• Cubed Bread – I use cinnamon swirl bread, but you can use another sturdy, crusty bread, like brioche, French bread, or even cinnamon babka cut into cubes. I like to trim off the crusts, too.
• Brown Sugar – To add moisture and depth of flavor to the muffins. Light brown sugar or granulated sugar will work in a pinch.
• Baking Powder – Make sure it’s not expired, or your muffins won’t rise properly. If your baking powder has been sitting in the back of the cupboard for months, consider buying a fresh batch.
• Cinnamon – For that authentic French toast flavor. Pumpkin spice would make a fun substitute.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted, melted in the microwave.
• All-purpose Flour – Be sure to measure the flour correctly. The best way is with a kitchen scale, but you can also use the spoon-and-sweep method. Spoon the flour from the bag into your cup measure. Then, sweep off the excess with the back of a knife. This avoids adding too much flour to the batter, which can make muffins dry.
• Maple Syrup – The classic topping for French toast! If you don’t have maple syrup, use honey instead.
• Cinnamon Sugar – You can make your own for this recipe by combining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.

How to Make French Toast Muffins

Muffin recipes are so easy and always rewarding. Which is just one more reason to make these French toast muffins for brunch this weekend. You know you wanna.

• First, make the French toast topping. Whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla together in a bowl. Add the cubed bread and stir to coat. Set this aside to “marinate” while you prepare the muffin batter.
• Mix the batter. Meanwhile, combine milk, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar in a new bowl. Fold in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, followed by the melted butter. Lastly, stir in the flour. Do not overmix your muffin batter!

• Assemble. Divide the batter between the lined wells of your muffin pan. I usually fill each liner about ⅔ full. Next, top each muffin with a heaping spoonful of the French toast topping. 
• Bake! Bake these French toast muffins at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes. If you insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
• Add the toppings. As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, drizzle the tops with maple syrup and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Tips for Perfect Muffins

• Don’t overmix. Too much mixing deflates the air in the batter, resulting in deflated muffins. Mix until the batter is JUST combined.
• Fill the muffin liners ⅔ to the top. Overfilling or underfilling the muffin liners can impact the rise.
• Fully preheat the oven. Make sure your oven is preheated to 375ºF before you bake the muffins. If the oven hasn’t come to temperature, your muffins won’t bake properly.
• Add the toppings right away. Drizzle on the maple syrup and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar when the muffins are fresh out of the oven. I like to do this step while they are still in the muffin tin to keep any mess to a minimum.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage and Freezing

• Store at room temperature. These muffins can be kept airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure they’re completely cool before storage, to avoid condensation that can make the muffins soggy.
• Freeze. These muffins freeze well for up to 2 months. Freeze them in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag. Thaw the muffins at room temperature.

More Muffin Recipes

• Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins
• Banana Blueberry Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins
• Chocolate Muffins
• Pecan Pie Muffins
• Honey Wheat Muffins