Toffee Muffin
intro
Soft, fluffy muffins studded with buttery toffee bits, topped with a crisp caramelized crust for a cozy, indulgent sweet bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Line 8 wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking liners, and fill the remaining empty wells halfway with tap water to ensure even heat distribution during baking.
In a large 2L mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 100g granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt for 30 seconds until fully combined, with no visible clumps of baking powder remaining.
In a separate medium 1L mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled melted 85g unsalted butter, 180ml room-temperature whole milk, 1 room-temperature large egg, and 1 tsp vanilla extract for 20 seconds until completely smooth; avoid over-whisking to prevent excess air incorporation.
Pour the entire wet mixture into the dry ingredient bowl, and use a silicone spatula to fold gently for 10-12 strokes only, until just combined—lumps in the batter are expected and desired. Fold in 120g (3/4 cup) of the toffee bits, reserving the remaining 30g (1/4 cup) for topping, using no more than 3 extra folds to evenly distribute the bits; overmixing will create tough, dense muffins.
Scoop the batter evenly into the 8 lined muffin wells, filling each liner to 3/4 full (approximately 60g of batter per well). Sprinkle the tops of each muffin evenly with the reserved 30g toffee bits and 2 tbsp demerara sugar to create a crunchy, caramelized top crust.
Place the muffin tin on the preheated middle oven rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until muffin tops are domed and golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of a muffin: it should come out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, no wet batter. Do not open the oven door for the first 15 minutes of baking to prevent muffins from sinking.
Once fully baked, remove the tin from the oven, and transfer the muffins directly to a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving; this short rest allows melted toffee bits to set slightly so they do not run out when bitten into.
Tips
2.Use room-temperature milk and egg for the wet mixture, as cold ingredients will cause melted butter to solidify into small hard clumps, leading to an uneven, dense baked texture.
3.If pre-made toffee bits are unavailable, chop hard butter toffee candies into 6mm (1/4 inch) pieces as a substitute; avoid soft chewy toffee, as it will melt completely and sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking.
OMG these sticky toffee muffins are INSANE. I whipped them up for my kid’s soccer team potluck last weekend and every single parent asked for the recipe! They’re so easy even my 10 year old helped stir the batter, and the toffee topping is perfectly gooey without being too sweet. 10/10 will be making these weekly for meal prep breakfasts!
These are the perfect pairing with my morning oat milk latte. I was worried a from-scratch muffin would be a hassle on busy work mornings, but 40 minutes total? Game changer. I added a handful of chopped pecans to the batter for a little extra crunch and it worked perfectly. SO good.
Really tasty muffins! My whole family devoured them after Sunday dinner, though I will say my toffee turned out a little runny the first time I made them. I think I didn’t let the butter and brown sugar simmer long enough before pouring it on. They tasted amazing anyway, will definitely try again to nail the topping next time!
Made these for my dorm meal prep this week and my roommates are literally begging me to make another batch already. Super easy to pull off even with our tiny, janky apartment oven, no fancy equipment needed at all. The sticky toffee doesn’t get all hard and weird in the fridge either which is a huge win for prepping ahead!
Brought these to my office potluck today and people were coming back for thirds. I was super nervous because I’ve never made sticky toffee anything before, but the steps were so straightforward! Even my boss who hates super sweet treats ate two. Will 100% be adding this to my regular baking rotation.
I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking blend and these turned out perfect!!! I was so worried the texture would be dense or weird but they were moist, fluffy, and that toffee topping is to die for. My husband who won’t touch any of my gluten free bakes usually ate three right after they cooled down. So happy I found this easy recipe!