These cardamom cinnamon muffins, with warming spices and a sweet topping, are a tasty way to start your day.
These muffins take just a few minutes to assemble before baking too, so you can have fresh muffins on your table in less than an hour. Your kitchen will be filled with the aroma of freshly baked treats.
Enjoy them plain, spread with melty butter, or filled with your favorite jam or nut butter. In fact, when I finished baking these I immediately ate one even though it was just before dinner. I just couldn't resist.
Ingredients in these Muffins:
Butter: Use unsalted butter that you've allowed to soften a bit.
Pantry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Egg: Room temperature.
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. For the cardamom, you can either use freshly ground seeds or preground cardamom. The freshly ground cardamom will have a stronger, more assertive flavor.
If you're not familiar with cardamom, it originated in India where it is often used in savory dishes. When it made its way to Europe, especially Scandinavia, it was often added to baked goods, such as sweet rolls, pulla bread, and rye bread. The flavor is warming, complex, a little sweet and spicy, and even a bit peppery. If you don't have it, you can simply make straight cinnamon-flavored muffins.
Buttermilk: You can substitute a 50/50 mixture of sour cream or yogurt and whole milk.
Vanilla: I used vanilla bean paste. You can easily substitute pure vanilla extract.
To Make These Muffins:
First, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. In another medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, and then beat in the egg and the vanilla.
Next, stir half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then the buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour mixture. The mixture will be fairly thick.
Scoop the batter into 9 greased or paper-lined cavities of a muffin tin and then bake the muffins for about 20 minutes.
When the muffins have cooled enough to handle, dip them in melted butter and then a sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom mixture.
More Tips:
This recipe makes nine standard-sized muffins. Store them in an air tight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can refresh them by microwaving them individually for ten to twenty seconds.
These muffins will also freeze well individually wrapped in plastic and then placed in a freezer bag for up to 30 days. Delay topping them with the sugar mixture until after thawing them.
Another option you could try is to pipe the batter into a baked donut pan and bake them for about 15 minutes.
You will have leftover topping after making these muffins. You can save it in a spice shaker for making cinnamon toast, adding to a streusel, or for making a filling for coffee cake.
Muffin Monday - December 2025
- Banana Buttermilk Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Blueberry Streusel Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
- Caramelized Pear Gingerbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
- Cardamom Cinnamon Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Cassava Flour Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Passion Kneaded
- Maple French Toast Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
- Wheaties Muffins from Palatable Pastime
#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who have gotten together once a month to bake muffins. Sadly, this is our final Muffin Monday. Many thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love for starting this group and keeping it going.
I joined over 10 years ago and I'm pretty sure I haven't missed a Muffin Monday! That's over 120 muffin recipes! My first Muffin for Muffin Monday was Apricot, Almond, and Toasted Coconut Muffins. What is my favorite? I can't decide! Right now I'm craving the mango muffins with coconut streusel. Tomorrow I might want a savory muffin!
You can see all of my muffins here.
You can see all of our lovely muffins by visiting our Pinterest board. Links for all of our past events can be found on our home page.
Cardamom Cinnamon Muffins
These cardamom cinnamon muffins, with warming spices and a sweet topping, are a tasty way to start your day.
Ingredients
- 235 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 101 grams (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 155 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 155 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 90 grams (6 tablespoons) butter, melted
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease 9 cavities of a standard muffin tin, or line the cavities with muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- In another medium bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Beat in the egg and the vanilla.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix gently with a spatula. Mix in the butterrmilk and then the rest of the flour mixture.
- Divide the batter among the muffin tin cavities, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just done. Cool the muffins in the pan for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- While the muffins are baking, whisk together the dry ingredients for the topping. Place them in a shallow bowl. Place the melted butter in a small bowl.
- Dip the top of a muffin in the melted butter and then immediately dip it into the sugar and spice mixture. Let cool on the wire rack. Repeat with the rest of the muffins.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
253Fat (grams)
10 gSat. Fat (grams)
6 gCarbs (grams)
38 gFiber (grams)
1 gNet carbs
37 gSugar (grams)
17 gProtein (grams)
3 gCholesterol (grams)
42 mg
