Made from pantry staples, these Brown Sugar Muffins have been a favorite for as long as I can remember! These muffins are not too sweet and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or for snack time.
We are a muffin loving family! These Brown Sugar Muffins are definitely a family favorite, along with these Cinnamon Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins.
I have a horrible memory. Ask me what I wore on Saturday – I probably won’t remember. Shopping without a grocery list? Only if I want to make it home with half of what I walked in to buy. And you know how some people can remember their first childhood memory at age 2? Not me.
But for some reason, I remember food. And these brown sugar muffins are definitely hard to forget. I grew up on these muffins. My mom would make them often, and I think that they were my favorite muffin that she made.
It really doesn’t get any simpler than this. All of the ingredients are pantry staples for me, so it takes a couple minutes to mix everything together, and after 20 minutes of baking, you have warm muffins. So make some memories with these muffins!
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: I have always used light brown sugar, but I did have a reader say they used dark brown sugar to intensify the flavor and it worked well. Either way, make sure the sugar is packed in the measuring cup.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, just add a smidge less salt.
- Milk: I typically make these with 2% milk because that is what I keep on hand. But others have had success with milk substitutes.
- Egg: You only need one large egg.
- Vanilla: The vanilla adds flavor, so I wouldn’t skip it!
- Flour: I use all purpose flour. I have not tested with another flour or with gluten free flour, so I’m not sure how the muffins would turn out if you swap that.
- Baking Soda: This is important for the rise of the muffins. Don’t skip it!
- Salt: The salt balances the flavors.
- Nuts: Honestly, most of the time, I do not add nuts. I do like them better with nuts, but my family likes them better without. But they are delicious either way! I usually use pecans, but walnuts would work, as well.
How to Make Brown Sugar Muffins
STEP 1: Mix the brown sugar and the butter together well. It will try to separate a little, but should mix together without a lot of fuss.
STEP 2: Stir in the milk, egg and vanilla until combined. The add in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
STEP 3: If adding nuts, fold those into the batter.
STEP 4: Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lined with paper liners. Bake just until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Tips and Tricks
My original recipe divided the batter between 15-17 muffin cups. In more recent years, I started making only 12 muffins from the batter. I like only having one muffin tin to clean, but if you do want to stretch the batter and make more muffins, just fill them to only about 2/3 full.
The batter might seem a little lumpy when you are stirring it together. This is normal. Don’t over mix the batter trying to get all of those lumps out.
My favorite way to eat these muffins is warm, slathered with butter. But they do last several days in a covered container at room temperature.
This is a pretty basic recipe, so if you want to jazz it up a little, you can add some cinnamon, or sprinkle sugar on the tops before baking.
More Favorite Muffin Recipes
Banana Muffins
Lemon Muffins
Banana Toffee Muffins
Peanut Butter Banana Bran Muffin Recipe
Morning Glory Muffins
Oatmeal Muffins with Applesauce
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Brown Sugar Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup nuts chopped coarsely (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar and the butter together. Add the milk, egg and vanilla as stir to combine. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until incorporated. If using, stir in the nuts.1 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup nuts
- Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a tested inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.
Eric says
I own a B&B on the Eastern Shore and always looking for yummy treats to serve my guests. These looked/sounded great, but they didn’t come out as expected. They didn’t have as much flavor as I had expected and they were fairly dry. I can always tell when something I serve isn’t a bit “hit” when I clear the table and the items are not eaten or a bit is taken and the rest left. I made a 1/2 batch and of the 8 muffins, 7 were left. Ouch. So I thought either I did something wrong as all the comments on here were so positive, or perhaps I can make a couple of adjustments and see how they come out. So I remade them and changed a couple things up and they turned out REALLY good. The next time I made them I made 8 and ALL of them were gone and there were only 4 guests! LOL So here’s what I changed/did: I a) made sure to use dark brown sugar where I had used lite brown sugar the first time, and b) I added a little bit of maple syrup (about 1 tbl) to the batter. Wow – what a HUGE difference and everyone commented on how great they were. The flavor profile was improved and they were very moist. These are definitely going to be regulars at my B&B!
Cathy says
Tried this recipe last night, they were very good! They made up so quick with few dishes lol, very easy recipe. I only made 12 larger muffins, and I did add some cinnamon and nutmeg as my crew enjoys anything with cinnamon. I’m sure one could get creative with different add-ins also. I wonder if you were to add a finely chopped apple or a cup of frozen berries (I have a ton of blueberries in my freezer!) would you decrease the milk or butter at all?
This is a great recipe when you want to have something quick & easy to make, a great little snack to have with a cup of tea! Thank you!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you found it and loved it! I haven’t tried any add ins, but I’d try keeping everything the same and just adding the apples or blueberries. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Gen says
I made these muffins today and was very disappointed. They look nice but have absolutely no flavor. I thought that since they were “brown sugar” muffins, they would be a little on the sweet side. Nope! No flavor whatsoever. I will be discarding this recipe.
Deborah says
I’m so sorry you didn’t care for them. I know everyone has different tastes. I hope you find that perfectly sweet muffin recipe for you!
Stephanie Heffner says
These not only look delicious, they ARE delicious! 👍👍
Cynthia Dise says
Thanks for this one easy to make and a tasty treat…
Romi says
I just made these and follow the recipe exactly. Very disappointed since the muffins came out very bland and not at all tasty. Definitely wasn’t sweet enough and while there were soft muffins, there was no flavor. When I bit into one, it reminded me of something and then I realized they tasted like pancake batter. Will not be making this again.
Colleen Rice says
Wondering if I can grease the muffin tins with butter?? Just sounds more delicious…can’t wait to try them!!
Maria says
Hi Deborah,
I was wondering if you’ve ever tried adding cinnamon or chocolate chips to these muffins?
Thanks!
Kathryn says
I have made these 2 times now…….both times at about 2 am 😀
These are SO easy and yummy!!
Thank you for recipes that take 5 minutes to put together with stuff most people already have in their pantry!!
Deborah says
Haha – I love that you’ve made them at 2am! So glad you are enjoying the muffins!
Susanna says
Would this work with buttermilk? Also, anyone have a guess on baking time for mini muffins? Thanks!
Deborah says
I haven’t tried them with buttermilk, so I couldn’t say how they would turn out. For mini muffins, I start checking them around 10 minutes.
Michelle says
I made these this morning. They were incredible and so simple and fast with pantry staples. I ate two before packing up a few for my mother in law. When I got home, my husband had eaten the remaining 6. I’m considering making them again tomorrow!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Deborah says
I’m glad the whole family is enjoying them!
Diana says
Hello! i’ve tried these with semi sweet chocolate chips and they were fantastic!
Did you bake this batter in a sheet pan? …maybe you can give me some advices about the proportions.
Thanks! kisses :*
Deborah says
I love the addition of chocolate chips! I haven’t tried baking it in a sheet pan, so I’m not sure how it would work. Sorry!
Mrs. Ron says
Hi! Can I replace butter with vegetable oil?
Ana says
These muffins are delicious and have a great texture. I think the next time I make them I’ll add a teaspoon of cinnamon to add a bit of spice. Thanks for the recipe!
Lydia Cartmill says
These were so easy and they turned out really great. I was afraid they might be extra sweet and they are not which is really great. I think you had some fresh berries to your plate with one or two of these muffins and you have a great breakfast. I only had dark brown sugar on hand and that is what I used. I think they turned out great, not sure it makes that much difference if you use light or dark unless that’s just your taste preference. Plus I only made the 12 muffins I did not dirty a second pan. I just added a little extra batter to each muffin and they still cooked in the same amount of time and they were perfect.
Courtney says
My kids love these muffins. I have made them many times. Most recently, I tried subbing applesauce for half of the sugar and used one cup of whole wheat white flour and one cup of all purpose flour. They were still very good and sweet enough for us. To make them more exciting for the kids, I have also added a couple of tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles to the batter. This is definitely our favorite muffin recipe. Thank you!
Deborah says
My kids would go crazy over sprinkles in their muffins – I must try that next time! So glad you love these!