Cinnamon Roll Protein Muffins

Ingredients you need

• Butter: You want the butter softened, almost melted, prior to mixing.
• Sweetener: The filling works best with a combination of brown sugar substitute and some allulose so it stays gooier. You will want a powdered sweetener if you choose to add the glaze.
• Ground cinnamon: You can’t make cinnamon rolls without cinnamon! Make sure yours is fresh, as old spices lose their flavor over time.
• Cottage cheese:  I used whole milk cottage cheese but 2% should work just as well.
• Eggs: Use large eggs and make sure they are room temperature.
• Almond flour: Use blanched, finely ground almond flour for keto muffin recipes like this one.
• Protein powder: I used unflavored whey protein for this recipe. Egg white may work as well but I don’t recommend plant protein or collagen protein.
• Pantry staples: Heavy cream, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.

Step by step directions

1. Make the cinnamon swirl: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sweeteners, and cinnamon. The butter should be almost melted but not quite, and the mixture should be like a thin paste. Set aside.

2. Prepare the muffin batter: In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Add the almond flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt and blend again until smooth.

3. Assemble the muffins: Line the wells of two muffin pans with silicone or parchment liners and fill each muffin cup about half full with the batter. Then add half a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl into the center of each muffin and swirl lightly with a toothpick or the end of a small spoon. Take care not to push the cinnamon mixture toward the bottom of the muffin.

4. Bake the muffins: Divide the remaining batter overtop, then add more cinnamon swirl and swirl it in. Bake at 325ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until the muffins are puffed and golden brown. The very top may not seemed cooked through because of the buttery cinnamon mixture, but it will set when they cool.

5. Make the drizzle: While the muffins cool, whisk together the sweetener and heavy whipping cream in a small bowl. Add water in tiny amounts until a drizzling consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.

Tips for Success 

One of the most important things when making these protein muffins is that you don’t push the cinnamon mixture toward the bottom of the muffin. I did that with a few of them and it’s so buttery that the bottoms come off the muffins as you try to get them out of the liners.

I tried this recipe with both almond flour and coconut flour, and I found that the coconut flour made it very rubbery and eggy. So I can’t recommend it.

Whey protein powder works best here but egg white protein may work as well. Plant protein will likely have too strong a flavor, and collagen will make them gummy.