Vanilla Coffee Cake Muffins are fluffy, buttery and delicious. Topped with a homemade pecan streusel, these vanilla-infused muffins are a perfect sweet addition to any weekend breakfast or brunch. Makes 12 muffins.

Love brunch at home? You don’t want to skip Fresh Strawberry Scones, Hearty Quiche and How to Make a Mimosa Bar!

Coffee cake has always been one of my guilty pleasures.

When I was a kid, the members of my parents’ Sunday school class rotated bringing breakfast to their class weekly, and I always loved when my parents were tapped because my mother usually whipped up a coffee cake, complete with a crumbly topping and swirled goodness throughout the breakfast treat.

She’d bring the whole cake to their class, and I always found myself hoping there would be leftovers.

However, I never understood why it was called a coffee cake. This was, obviously, waaaaaaaaaaaay before I was introduced to the comforts of a hot mug of coffee and how delightful coffee cake is paired with it.

Why I love this recipe:

These Coffee Cake Muffins are chock full of vanilla flavors and scents… and they’re also really buttery. The perfect kind of decadent treat to start off a morning or an at-home brunch.

As Lady A, our older daughter said, “The vanilla is really good!”

These muffins are fluffy with a tangy cake base. The streusel is crispy and sweet, and it adds texture inside the muffins, as well as on the top.

Other muffin recipes you might enjoy: Pumpkin Brown Butter Streusel Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze | Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins | Vegan Banana Muffins | Dairy-Free Blueberry Lemon Crumble Muffins

Need some breakfast or brunch assistance? Head on over to my Breakfast and Brunch recipe index for inspiration!

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What you need to make Coffee Cake Muffins

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• Muffin tin
• Parchment paper muffin liners—These are my all-time favorite because no muffins stick to them! I highly recommend getting a pack and using them for every muffin/cupcake you bake.
• Large mixing bowl
• Hand mixer (or a stand mixer)
• 1-tablespoon cookie scoop

In addition to these tools, you’re going to need some supplies to make these muffins, too.

• Unsalted butter—you’re going to need a stick and a half, or 12 tablespoons total
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla bean paste
• Vanilla extract
• Greek yogurt
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour—I always use unbleached AP flour, but you can use the regular kind, too.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Brown sugar—I call out dark brown sugar here, but if you only have light brown sugar, that works, too!
• Pecans

How to make Coffee Cake Muffins

First and foremost, preheat the oven.

Also, place paper muffin baking cups in your 12-muffin tin. Set ’em aside for later.

Make the muffin batter

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and fluffy .

Add the eggs, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and Greek yogurt. Use the hand mixer to blend ’em until smooth.

In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a whisk or a rubber spatula to stir until combined.

Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet, blending until just combined.

Prepare the streusel topping

Combine the brown sugar, flour, butter and vanilla extract in a smaller bowl.

Mix ’em until combined. Add the pecans, and stir those in, too.

When combined, set aside.

Prepare and bake the muffins

Dollop 2 tablespoons of the batter using a cookie scoop into the bottom of each baking cup.

Sprinkle a little of the streusel on top of the muffin batter. I used about 1 tablespoon per muffin, but you can eyeball it.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon scoop of the muffin batter on top. Smooth it down with a spatula, butter knife or offset spatula, then sprinkle additional streusel on top of each muffin.

Transfer the muffins to the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins have risen, are golden brown and are cooked through.

How do you know when they’re done? The tops of the muffins will be golden brown. But also give them a test by inserting a toothpick and checking the toothpick when removed to confirm the muffins are not raw in the middle.

Allow 5-10 minutes to cool, then enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake?

The general line of thinking is that coffee cake is made with and/or intended to be enjoyed with coffee.

Some people like coffee in their coffee cakes. I am not one of those people. 😉

Do you eat coffee cake for breakfast?

Absolutely. These coffee cake muffins make for a delightfully sweet and buttery breakfast treat.

Can I take this muffin recipe and bake it like a classic coffee cake?

Technically, you could take this muffin batter and bake it in a bundt pan* (affiliate link) like a classic coffee cake. However, I have no clue how long it would take to bake or what it would look like, especially since the streusel topping would not actually be on top of the cake.

You could swirl it through the cake batter, though, and I’m sure that would be delicious.

What substitutions can I make in this homemade muffin recipe?

I’ve changed this recipe over the years for consistency’s sake, as well as for the sake of not needing extra special ingredients if you don’t have these on hand in your home.

Here are some ways to infuse more vanilla into the coffee cakes:

• Substitute ¼ cup vanilla sugar for the same amount of regular granulated sugar.
• Instead of vanilla bean paste, scrap the seeds from a whole vanilla bean and toss those into the batter.
• If you are dairy free, use room temperature coconut oil in place of the softened butter. Use melted coconut oil in place of the melted butter. Use an unflavored or vanilla dairy free yogurt, too!

Quick tips and tricks to the best coffee cake muffins

• Bake ’em in advance for a playdate or kid-centric gathering. My kids adore these muffins, and yours might, too!
• Make ’em dairy free with a few swaps. (In fact, this was developed as a dairy free recipe.) Use coconut oil and dairy free yogurt in place of the butter and Greek yogurt.
• Don’t skimp on the vanilla. You really can taste it, and that makes these coffee cake muffins feel special!
• Store ’em on the countertop covered for 1-2 days. The streusel topping will become less crisp the longer the muffins sit out, but their flavors are still amazing.

What breakfast/brunch foods are guilty pleasures for you?

Are you a huge coffee cake fan like I am?