These quick and easy Buttermilk Muffins feature a delightful spiced topping that makes every bite taste so warm and cozy! They melt in your mouth and offer so much flavor from sweet brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and more. Great with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a late night treat!

photo of buttermilk muffin with bite taken out

Buttermilk Muffins

I’ve been making this buttermilk muffin recipe for years and it never gets old! They’re super moist, melt in your mouth, and the sugary nutmeg topping alone is worth making over and over again. Buttermilk is a fantastic ingredient to use in muffins for a few reasons. For starters, the acidity of it balances all of the brown sugar in the best way! It also helps to create the most fluffy, soft muffins that rise to the best shape. Usually, I like to keep my warmer, spiced dessert recipes confined to the fall months… But these muffins are just too good to contain to one season. Upon my family’s request, I happily make them all year round! 

Enjoy more of my favorite muffin recipes like Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Maple Brown Sugar Banana Muffins

Why Put Buttermilk in Muffins?

Buttermilk is a secret ingredient when it comes to baking that I always like to sneak into recipes. When it comes to muffins, buttermilk lends a delightful taste and helps the batter rise to the tallest, fluffiest height. Flat muffins are a thing of the past when you start using buttermilk in your muffin recipes! 

How to Make Buttermilk Muffins

  • Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. Measure with care! 
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk. Add both sugars, melted butter and vanilla and stir it all together. 
  • Make the batter. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until combined. 
  • Bake. Line a muffin tin with papers or spray it down with baking spray. Bake the muffins at 375°F for 15-17 minutes. 
  • Make the topping. Melt butter in a small bowl. In a different bowl, whisk together brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Once the muffins have cooled just enough to handle, dip the tops of the muffins into the melted butter and sprinkle with as much of the sugary topping as you’d like. 
six panel collage showing different steps of making buttermilk muffins

Storing

Once the muffins have fully cooled to room temperature, you can either store them at room temperature or freeze them for later. In an airtight container on your countertop, they’ll stay fresh for about 3-4 days. 

You can keep them around for even longer by freezing for up to 3 months! Don’t forget to date and label your container/zip-top bag. When you’re ready to enjoy a muffin, place it on the counter and let it adjust to room temperature for an hour or so. 

Ingredient Notes

  • All Purpose Flour – Instead of dunking your measuring cup into the bag of flour, use a spoon instead to scoop the flour from the bag and place it into the measuring cup. That way, you don’t pack the flour! 
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Did you know that both of these ingredients can expire? Try to use both baking soda and powder within 6 months of opening the containers so they’re nice and potent. 
  • Buttermilk – Use your leftover buttermilk to make the BEST Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
  • Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg create the very best warm and cozy flavor. For the best flavor (if you’re feeling fancy), grate the nutmeg yourself!
  • Brown Sugar – All out? No worries! Just combine one cup of white granulated sugar with one tablespoon of molasses to make your own brown sugar. 
stack of buttermilk spice muffins

4 from 1 vote

Buttermilk Spice Muffins with Nutmeg Topping

These quick and easy Buttermilk Muffins feature a delightful spiced topping that makes every bite taste so warm and cozy! They melt in your mouth and offer so much flavor from sweet brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and more. Great with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a late night treat!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 17 minutes
Total 32 minutes
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients 

FOR THE MUFFINS

FOR THE TOPPING

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners or non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until combined.
  • In another medium bowl, beat egg and buttermilk with a hand mixer. Add both sugars, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to combine.
  • Slowly add wet ingredients to dry with mixer running until combined, about two minutes.
  • Scoop the dough evenly into the prepared muffin tin and bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

FOR THE TOPPING

  • Melt the butter in a small bowl
  • In another small bowl mix together brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon
  • When muffins are cool enough to handle, dip tops into butter, then sprinkle with topping as desired.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
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Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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1 Comment

  1. 4 stars
    Tasty muffin. Vanilla extract is not in the list of ingredients (1 teaspoon?). Also, my batter did not look like yours at all – much thicker. 2 cups of flour and only 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 3 TBSP melted butter as liquid ingredients – is that correct? Thank You!