Coffee Cake Muffins
These Coffee Cake Muffins are fluffy and delicious! They feature an easy crumble topping and simple icing drizzle.
I normally try to stick to the recipe when I write here, but I can’t this time. The last year has been really tough for me. And I really don’t have anybody to blame but myself. I’m both a people pleaser and an achiever. I like to do things just to prove that I’m able to, and I don’t like to disappoint anybody along the way.
It’s a deadly combination, and it’s just the way I’m wired. I’m sure there were some environmental factors that influenced it, but my parents are really easy-going people and they never pushed me too hard. It’s all me.
You might have noticed that I haven’t been posting as much in recent months, and there’s good reason.
At the ripe age of 33, I am burned out. Clinically diagnosed burnout (as much as it can be). Adrenal fatigue. Cortisol levels through the roof. Fatigue fatigue. Digestion issues. New food allergies.
I’m on more medicine than I’d ever like to be, all so I can keep my life moving at a breakneck speed and not let anybody down. I’ve made myself sick and unhappy, even though everything looks great on the surface.
In the past few months, I’ve learned that nobody really changes until things totally fall apart at the seams. And, that is definitely what happened with my mental and physical health.
So, how do you unravel a big, overfilled life that you’ve built?
It doesn’t happen overnight, because most of us can’t leave our jobs, draw our kids out of activities, and cancel all of our commitments at the drop of a hat.
It takes time and patience to undo a life that’s too busy, It takes saying “NO” to the things that you know deep down don’t make you happy and “YES” to the things that do.
Not everybody struggles with saying no, but I do.
My husband, for example, has great natural boundaries and has no problem opting out of things that don’t interest him. He cares about his immediate family, excelling at work, and spending time at our home and in nature. Those are his priorities.
Everything and everybody else is very secondary for him, and he’s okay with disappointing folks if it maintains his sanity. My husband’s way of living is a bit counter to what is normal, but these days, I strive to be more like him.
I’ve been reading an incredibly helpful book, Present over Perfect. The author is a busy-ness addict like me, struggling to reconstruct her life into something that allows her to be more than just productive. Nearly every page of the book has a highlighted portion that struck me.
In the book’s intro, she says something that I’ve said to myself a million times, “if anyone else wants to live this life I’ve created for myself, they’re more than welcome to try. But I’m done.” This hit hard for me. Something just broke inside of me, and my health suffered, and I felt an immediate need to change how I functioned.
It seems like when you really get to the core of why folks want to be busy, you find a central theme. A need to prove themselves. I once had a therapist tell me that I was “born with a chip on my shoulder,” which is accurate. I’ve always felt the need to outwardly prove that I’m worthy. And in the process, I’ve lost a lot of the goodness inside.
In “Present over Perfect,” she explains that she had this sense she was slipping away. That her core self, her best self was leaving the building, and being replaced by something that was “shaped out of necessity.” Someone who was tough and focused and un-emotional, all of the traits necessary to carry the weight of the life she built.
I’ve said much the same to my husband after tough days at work, “I don’t like who I had to be today.” I’ve felt very far from my real, best self and still do some days.
Like I said before, I know I can’t fix this overnight. But, I’m making progress. I’m saying “no” more, leaving our weekends free, and burning a lot of vacation time.
I’m also saying “yes” to the things that leave me feeling peaceful and content. One of those things is involving my son in cooking. It’s a challenge right now, because he wants to do more than watch, but he also is a bit too young to trust with a hot stove. So, we’ve been doing a ton of baking!
These Coffee Cake Muffins are a hit, because he loves cinnamon. He can help pour the ingredients, mix them, and measure them into the muffin tin. And we can hang out together and have a bit of simple happiness together, and that’s just what I need right now.
If you love these Coffee Cake Muffins, I think you will also enjoy my Pumpkin Banana Muffins!
Coffee Cake Muffins
These fluffy coffee cake muffins are topped with a delicious crumble and drizzle of icing. Easy to make and delicious!
Ingredients
Muffin Batter:
- 1 and ½ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Crumble Topping:
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup melted butter
Glaze (optional):
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
- In a small bowl, combine the crumble ingredients, mashing together with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and stir well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients; milk, butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix until it forms a thick batter with no lumps.
- Add 2 tbsp of batter to each muffin cup. Top with about 1 tbsp of crumble mixture.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until you can insert a toothpick in the center of the muffin, and it comes out clean.
- While muffins bake, combine your ingredients for the glaze (optional) in a small bowl.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10-15 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 218Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 56mgSodium 393mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 1gSugar 18gProtein 3g
That looks really good and I can’t wait to make it.
i’m sorry the last year has been rough for you, michelle. it’s so hard trying to do it all–and we can’t really! i love the concept that saying “no” to one thing is really a “yes” to another, even if it’s just a “yes” to empty space on the calendar. and all space on the calendar doesn’t need to be filled! this is a hard concept for me, but i think so important. i can relate to alot of your experiences. i’ve stepped back from my blog big time as my son has grown and i’ve wanted to focus on other things in life. my son enjoys baking with me too – and i love involving him in the kitchen, even though it’s a wee bit stressful. ha! i haven’t read present over perfect but have read other shawna niequist books. will have to look it up soon! <3 i hope this is the start of an upswing in your life towards who you want to be! (that sounds cheesy but i do mean it!)
I love that. Saying no really means saying yes! That’s the best possible way to put it. Thank you so much, I appreciate hearing from you about this too.
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So excited for you and your blog! I followed your Facebook post here and am really excited about these muffins. Question though – how much milk do you use in the batter? It’s mentioned in the instructions but not the ingredients. Thanks!
Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it! And great catch! I fixed the recipe. Let me know how they turn out for you!
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