These Mini French Breakfast Puffs are soft, fluffy breakfast muffins coated in warm, melted butter and then rolled in sweet cinnamon sugar. They take less than 15 minutes to bake, taste absolutely wonderful, and are the perfect go-to, quick breakfast treat!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
I have a growing number of breakfast sweets here on Beyond the Butter, and next to my Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Butterscotch Bundt Roll recipes, these mini french breakfast puffs are probably the easiest to make!
It’s a recipe I got from my Aunt Deb, who got it from her Mom (a.k.a. my Grammy) years ago, and now I’m sharing it with all of you! One small change I made from my Aunt’s recipe—I made these minis because who doesn’t like mini treats?
This recipe yields approximately 18 mini breakfast muffins using a medium-sized cookie scoop, takes roughly 10-15 minutes to prep, and 13-15 minutes to bake! Fresh and warm from the oven, roll them in the melted butter, coat them with the cinnamon sugar, then enjoy!
That’s it—easy peasy!
Ingredients Needed
The following ingredients are needed to make these miniature cinnamon sugar breakfast muffins. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need a bit more explanation.
- All-Purpose Flour. My preferred flour to use is from King Arthur, but use what you have on hand.
- Nutmeg. If you don’t have nutmeg on hand, you can use cinnamon in its place.
- Vegetable Shortening. You can substitute softened, room-temperature unsalted butter (1:1 ratio).
- Milk. I used 1%, but 2%, whole, and fat-free are fine as a substitute.
- Unsalted Butter. Used for rolling the just-baked breakfast puffs in.
- Cinnamon Sugar. The coating that gets added after you’ve dipped the muffins in the melted butter
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a quick overview of how to make these homemade french breakfast puffs. For the full printable recipe, which can be made using US customary or metric measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Recipe Tip: Before starting, adjust the oven rack to the middle rack (or the one above it) and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously spray 18 of the 24 cavities in a 24-cavity mini muffin pan with a flour-based baking spray.
Step 1. Whisk the cinnamon sugar mixture together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This includes the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
Step 3. Beat together the shortening and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and mix until well combined.
Step 4. Alternate adding the milk and dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Recipe Tip: The breakfast puffs batter will be on the thicker side, but easily scoopable.
Step 5. Scoop the breakfast puffs batter into the mini muffin cavities. I recommend using a medium-sized scoop.
Step 6. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350ºF or until a light golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined cooling rack.
Recipe Tip: Melt the butter towards the very end of baking the breakfast puffs.
Step 7. With one hand, coat the mini breakfast puffs in the melted butter. You can also use spoons or mini tongs.
Step 8. With the other hand, coat the breakfast puffs in the cinnamon sugar mix. Place them back onto the paper towel-lined cooling rack or serving platter, then enjoy!
Storage
These are best eaten the same day, but also keep well at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you don’t have a mini muffin tin, you can make these as regular-size breakfast muffins using a standard muffin tin. The oven temp is the same at 350ºF, but the bake time changes to 23-25 minutes. Fill them 2/3 full, which should yield 12 medium-sized muffins.
Yes, it would be a 1:1 substitute.
Yes, these breakfast puffs will keep well at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to two days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
More Breakfast Sweets to Enjoy!
If you tried this Mini French Breakfast Puffs recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know what you thought in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Mini French Breakfast Puffs
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
French Breakfast Puffs Muffin Batter
- 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Shortening, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted – for dipping the muffins in after they are baked. DO NOT ADD TO THE BATTER.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center), and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously spray a 24 cavity mini muffin pan with a flour-based baking spray.
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
- To make the cinnamon sugar mix, whisk together the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Set to the side.1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, 1 tsp Cinnamon
French Breakfast Puffs Muffin Batter
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set the dry mixture to the side.1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- Using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the vegetable shortening and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.1/3 cup Vegetable Shortening, 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, 1 Large Egg
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, then alternatively add in the milk with the whisked dry mixture. Mix until just combined. The batter will be on the thicker side, but easily scoopable.1/2 cup Milk
- Using a medium-size cookie scoop, evenly divide the batter into the mini muffin cavities.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350ºF or until light golden brown. Transfer the breakfast puffs onto a wire cooling rack with a few sheets of paper towels underneath.
- Right before the breakfast puffs are done baking, melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in a microwave-safe glass bowl for 1 minute.1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- Use one hand (or with a spoon or mini tongs) to dip the breakfast muffins into the melted butter. Then use the other to coat them in cinnamon sugar. Place them back onto the paper towel-lined cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!
- These are best eaten the same day, but also keep well at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Video
Notes
- To make these mini french breakfast puffs regular size, follow the same instructions, but bake them for 23-25 minutes at the same oven temperature of 350ºF.
- This recipe yields approximately 18 mini french breakfast puffs, so you will not use all 24 mini muffin cavities.
- You can easily double the cinnamon sugar mix. Keep it saved in a container to use for other recipes like my Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake or Blueberry Bundt Cake!
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
I made these today and have made them in the past. Is there a way to make them so they ar not so dry after they are baked.
Are they dry even with the melted butter and cinnamon sugar coating?
I would like a way to make them so the muffin it’s self is not so dry.
Thanks for your feedback! I’ve never experienced the dry texture with these mini muffins, so can’t offer any suggestions other than possibly to make sure you’re measuring your flour correctly or you can try reducing the flour by a little bit to see if that helps. If that doesn’t work, you’re welcome to try another recipe too to see if that suits your taste buds better.
These whipped up faster than expected! They were perfectly fluffy, with just enough spice that’s it was not overwhelming–it paired perfectly with my coffee. I think these will be a weekend regular! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Kirsten, for making them!
well, I wouldn’t make these again. they are drier in texture/crumb than other baked goods that I make and they don’t have much taste or depth. probably something like sour cream or buttermilk (with a little added baking soda) would enrich the flavor.
Thank you for trying the recipe. I’m sorry it wasn’t a hit for you.
Hi! I don’t have baking spray right now. Can I just use butter to grease the cupcake tin?
I haven’t tried it that way, but yes! You can melt the butter then apply it with a pastry brush!
My mom doesn’t eat egg so I substituted that with a teaspoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of white vinegar.
They were absolutely delicious! They were very soft and fluffy!
Thank you so much!
Can you do this without veg shortening? Would love to have these tomorrow but am lacking that in my kitchen.
Hi! You can substitute the shortening for butter if you have that!
I found these to be somewhat dense and crumbly – definitely not light and fluffy as stated in recipe. I made the 1x batch size which made 11 “regular” size muffins as I don’t have a mini tin. Was tough to tell when they were done – took out about 23min. I added about 2tsp cinnamon to the dough to amp up cinnamon flavor. After took out of tin and dipped in butter, found they crumbled quite a bit in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Perhaps because they were not minis. Won’t be making again.
Oh that stinks Jennifer, I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out as expected. Besides increasing the cinnamon, did you use any substitutes?
The recipe is super easy to follow !
The puffs are really soft, and the taste is super yummy !
So glad you loved them, thank you!
Wow!! So easy to make and so quick, too. All together took about 35-40 minutes. I opted for the bigger ones and it made 12 perfect muffins. Delicious with my coffee 🙂
Glad the puffs were a hit!
AMAZING recipe – so simple and so SO yummy. I used almond milk instead of regular milk and it worked just as well! Super fluffy
So glad you loved them Lenah, thanks!