These Cappuccino Muffins are fluffy and moist breakfast muffins that are easy to make in about 30 minutes! With instant coffee granules in the batter and cocoa powder in the streusel topping, these take me back to Paris where our cappuccinos always had cocoa powder sprinkled on top!
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Making bakery-style muffins at home may seem hard, but this easy breakfast recipe can be whipped up in one bowl in no time! These crumb-topped muffins are jumbo like my almond poppy seed muffins and brownie muffins, but can be made into any size you like!
This is the best cappuccino muffin recipe because it's sponsored by and made with Lifeway's organic plain whole milk kefir, which makes them so moist and light. If you follow a few basic techniques, you won't run the risk of dry coffee muffins here!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Packed with just the right amount of coffee flavor.
- Irresistible cocoa powder and brown sugar crumb topping.
- Super moist and fluffy espresso muffins.
- Easy recipe that doesn't require any special appliances or tools (not even an electric mixer)!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make these coffee-flavored muffins:
Ingredient Notes:
- Instant coffee is the key ingredient to get coffee flavor in every bite of these muffins. You can find it by the regular ground coffee in your local supermarket.
- Whole milk kefir and vegetable oil keep these muffins moist for days.
- Vanilla extract adds delicious flavor to balance with the coffee. I recommend using pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla.
- Brown sugar and cocoa powder create a delicious streusel that tops the muffins for added sweetness and crunch. Feel free to use any type of cocoa powder that's in your pantry!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a mocha version, mix mini chocolate chips into the batter and/or sprinkle them on top.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder or coarse sugar on top of the muffin batter instead of the chocolate streusel topping, or you can omit toppings altogether.
- Add a cream cheese frosting (try the brown butter one from my cinnamon rolls recipe) once the muffins have baked and cooled completely.
- Use mini or regular sized muffin tins to make smaller muffins. See instructions in the recipe card notes below.
- Swap out the vegetable oil for browned butter for a richer, caramelized flavor.
- Can't find Lifeway kefir anywhere? That's okay! You can substitute an equal amount of buttermilk.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Cappuccino Muffins
Step 1: Start by making the crumb topping. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter with a spatula.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and instant coffee granules.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the whole milk kefir, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir gently with a spatula just until the flour streaks disappear.
Step 5: Fill the jumbo muffin liners evenly with the coffee-flavored batter.
Step 6: Sprinkle the cocoa powder streusel over the top of every muffin.
Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffins clean.
Expert Baking Tips
- Follow the instructions in the order shown above! Making the streusel first gives it time to dry up so it's easier to sprinkle over the batter. Whisking the dry ingredients first lets you use the same whisk without getting wet ingredients into them!
- Measure the flour in grams. Flour's easy to mis-measure with cups, so using a food scale helps make sure it's accurate and doesn't lead to dry muffins!
- Don't over-mix the batter! This can cause too much gluten to develop, making your muffins tough instead of fluffy.
- Avoid over-baking the muffins so they don't end up dry or burnt.
- If you can't find jumbo muffin tin liners, make your own using parchment paper or lightly grease the pan to make sure the muffins come out easily.
Common Questions
Sure! Espresso powder has a stronger flavor, so you may want to use less unless you want a more intense coffee flavor.
The main reason this happens is because the dough was over-mixed and too much gluten was produced, so the result is more similar to bread than a fluffy, cakey muffin. This also could be due to too much flour being incorporated, so make sure to measure the flour using grams on a food scale.
Lifeway's organic kefir can be found at lifewaykefir.com or in the dairy section of most grocery stores around the U.S.
Storage
Room Temperature
Cappuccino muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze the fully cooled muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Reheating Instructions
Let the frozen muffins thaw at room temperature or in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and tag @brokenovenbaking & @lifewaykefir on social media!
📖 Recipe
Cappuccino Muffins with Cocoa Streusel Topping
Equipment
- Jumbo Muffin Pan filled with parchment liners or lightly greased
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter measured then melted
- ⅔ cup (83.33 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams for best results
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar packed
- 1½ teaspoons cocoa powder
Cappuccino Muffin Batter
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams for best results
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) Lifeway Organic Plain Whole Milk Kefir room temperature
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a jumbo muffin pan with baking cups or lightly grease with nonstick spray.
- Make the streusel topping by mixing together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter (a spatula works best).Set aside to dry while making the muffin batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and instant coffee granules.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, kefir, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
- Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until the flour streaks disappear.
- Fill the muffin liners with batter and then sprinkle the streusel topping over them.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 15 more minutes, for a total bake time of 20-25 minutes).
- Once the muffins are cool enough to touch, transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
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Hi Kayla!! The muffins came out ok, they looked beautiful, nice consistency, but they didn't taste as good as they looked.. The struesel was great!! I added almost double of instant coffee to the batter yet still tasted flat. I will try them again and add a lot more coffee and cut down on the flour just a bit.
Hi Cynthia! I hope you had a great weekend 🙂 thank you for sharing this feedback! Did you happen to use a scale to weigh the ingredients?
Kayla, we really enjoyed this recipe. I love having a stash of them in the freezer. The muffins themselves aren’t overly sweet. I think the cocoa streusel topping adds the right amount of sweetness. I don’t keep instant coffee on hand so I used espresso powder instead and I love the coffee flavor. Perfect for this coffee lover. I’ll definitely make these again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much, Ilene!! I'm happy you enjoyed them! 🙂