Nutella Muffins

When I saw the second photo on this list of ideas for breakfast on Christmas morning, I just knew I had to make Nutella muffins. I used the basic muffin recipe they recommended, but doubled it because despite their instructions, I knew that 1 cup of flour wouldn’t give me 12 muffins. The result was ugly (they spread too much), but delicious, so I decided to use another base.


After some searching, I settled on these doughnut muffins, omitting the nutmeg and topping them with cinnamon sugar. Here is the result.

Note that when we’re speaking of 1 tablespoon of Nutella in a muffin, the quantity of lactose is tolerable for me. Of course, feel free to use your favorite lactose-free chocolate spread (such as Chocolate Soom, which is also nut-free) or make your own (like this one). I used my smallest cookie scoop to portion tablespoons of dough in each muffin; a regular size jar of Nutella gives you enough for 24 muffins.

2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
scant 1 tsp salt
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp lactose-free milk
2 Tbsp buttermilk (or lactose-free milk with a dash of lemon juice)
1 ½ sticks (6 oz) lactose-free butter at room temperature (or cold margarine)
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
12 Tbsp Nutella (or lactose-free chocolate spread)

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and set a rack to the middle position. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with cooking spray.

Mix the 2 Tbsp sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.

Combine the milk and the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for a few seconds, until the butter is soft and creamy. With the motor running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture increases in volume and lightens to pale yellow. It should look light, fluffy, and wonderfully creamy, like frosting. This could take a couple of minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.

With a wooden spoon, mix ¼ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until the dough is smooth and well combined, but do not overmix.

Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter. Add a tablespoon of Nutella, then fill the rest of the way with batter. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the reserved cinnamon sugar. Bake until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.