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Home » Recipes » Muffins » Brown Butter Eggnog Muffins

Brown Butter Eggnog Muffins

Published: Dec 16, 2025 · by Kyleigh Sage · This post may contain affiliate links.

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eggnog muffins pin.

These brown butter eggnog muffins are super moist and full of flavor from the spiced eggnog and nutmeg! Topped with a brown sugar crumble and eggnog glaze, they're super easy to make and perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or holiday brunch!

eggnog muffins topped with streusel and eggnog drizzle.

You might also like these apple cider muffins or these eggnog scones!

Jump to:
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How to Make Eggnog Muffins
  • Tips for the Best Baked Goods
  • Recipe FAQ's
  • Tips for Success!
  • More Recipes You Might Like!
  • Recipe Card
  • Comments

Ingredient Notes

You just need a few ingredients to make these eggnog streusel muffins!

ingredients for eggnog muffins.

Brown Butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!

Spices - For these brown butter eggnog muffins we use classic warming winter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Rum Extract - This is optional but I like to add ½ teaspoon of rum extract to the batter.

Eggnog - You can use your favorite store-bought eggnog or make your own!

The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.

How to Make Eggnog Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

Make the streusel topping by whisking together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add in the cold brown butter and crumble together with your fingers until small clumps form. Set aside.

ingredients for streusel topping.
streusel topping in bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, brown sugar, and sugar.

Add in the eggs, vanilla, and rum extract and whisk until combined and smooth.

brown butter and sugar in bowl.
adding eggs to batter.

Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the eggnog and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. 

dry ingredients in bowl.
eggnog muffin batter in bowl.

Spoon the batter into your muffin cups so that they are almost full. Generously sprinkle crumble mixture over muffins, gently pressing it into the top of the batter.

eggnog muffins before baking.
eggnog muffins topped with streusel before baking.

Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes for regular sized muffins. Rotate the pan about halfway through so that the muffins brown evenly.

Remove the eggnog muffins from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

eggnog muffins after baking.

To make the glaze, whisk the together the powdered sugar and melted butter. Then slowly add in eggnog 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.

Once the brown butter eggnog muffins are cool, drizzle with the eggnog glaze. Note: I recommend only glazing the muffins you're planning to eat immediately!

brown butter eggnog muffins with streusel.

Tips for the Best Baked Goods

Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.

Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]

Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.

Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!

stack of brown butter eggnog muffins.

Recipe FAQ's

How long do these eggnog streusel muffins last?

These eggnog muffins will keep at room temperature (without the glaze) for up to 4 days. Once glazed they're best eaten the same day (store in the fridge if glazed).

Do I have to use brown butter in these spiced eggnog muffins?

No! You can use regular unsalted butter if you prefer.

Can I make these mini muffins?

Yes! For mini eggnog muffins, reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes.

brown butter eggnog muffins.

Tips for Success!

For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!

Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.

A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.

More Recipes You Might Like!

  • brown butter apple streusel muffins.
    Brown Butter Apple Cider Muffins
  • eggnog scones with eggnog glaze.
    Eggnog Scones
  • close up of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • close up of bourbon eggnog cupcakes topped with snowflake cookies.
    Eggnog Cupcakes

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Recipe Card

brown butter eggnog muffins with streusel topping.

Brown Butter Eggnog Muffins

5 from 3 votes
These brown butter eggnog muffins are super moist and full of flavor from the spiced eggnog and nutmeg! Topped with a brown sugar streusel and eggnog glaze, they're super easy to make and perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or holiday brunch!
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Kyleigh Sage
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Special Equipment

  • muffin pan
  • muffin liners
Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams!

Ingredients
 
 

Streusel Topping

  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted brown butter, cold

Muffins

  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup unsalted brown butter, melted
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon rum extract, optional
  • ¾ cup eggnog

Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 1-3 tablespoons eggnog

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
  • Make the streusel topping by whisking together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add in the cold brown butter and crumble together with your fingers until small clumps form. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, brown sugar, and sugar.
  • Add in the eggs, vanilla, and rum extract and whisk until combined and smooth.
  • Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the eggnog and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. 
  • Spoon the batter into your muffin cups so that they are almost full. Generously sprinkle crumble mixture over muffins, gently pressing it into the top of the batter.
  • Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes for regular sized muffins. Rotate the pan about halfway through so that the muffins brown evenly.
  • Remove the eggnog muffins from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
  • To make the glaze, whisk the together the powdered sugar and melted butter. Then slowly add in eggnog 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
  • Once the brown butter eggnog muffins are cool, drizzle with the eggnog glaze. Note: I recommend only glazing the muffins you're planning to eat immediately!

Notes

These muffins will keep at room temperature (without the glaze) for up to 4 days. Once glazed they're best eaten the same day (store in the fridge if glazed).
To Make Brown Butter: Melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for about 20 minutes in the fridge until soft and pliable. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Category | Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine | American
Love this recipe?Mention @barleyandsage on Instagram and tag #barleyandsage
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5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)
Kyleigh looking at cupcakes.

Hi, I'm Kyleigh!

It's a one woman show around here; I'm the writer, photographer, and recipe developer for Barley & Sage! Here you'll find delicious scratch-made recipes ranging from quick and easy meals to extravagant desserts and everything in between!

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