Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins

I don't really remember how I came across it, but I stumbled on this recipe from the King Arthur website.  They call them "Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins", which is a total mouthful, so I've renamed them to Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins.  I think I did something wrong when I making the cinnamon filling because it didn't quite look right in the bowl and what I was looking at certainly didn't sound like their description for the cinnamon filling.  I tasted it and it tasted like it was supposed to, so I think I might have misread the substitution and added too much water since mine was really liquidy.

At any rate, these muffins were only okay.  I wasn't too impressed.  Joe "liked" them, but he doesn't like muffins and he only ate the one that I put in his hand.  For me, the muffins tasted like they were missing something and they didn't really seem like they had enough cinnamon flavor in them to warrant the ridiculous name.  I don't know if this is related to my not-quite-right cinnamon filling, but I suspect that it is.

The biggest problem I had - and, reading through the reviews on the KA site, most other people have the same one - is that the muffins stick to the liners no matter what you do.  I sprayed mine with non-stick spray and still had a tough time getting them out so I could eat them.  I'd like to try making these again, but I think I'll try it as a bread.  The muffins were really dense anyway, so I think a bread might be a better way to get the flavors across without spending minutes unwrapping them.

This is the 2nd King Arthur recipe I've tried with only "meh" results.  Okay, so to be fair, the first one was scones and I modified it right out of the gate.  Have you ever tried a King Arthur recipe? Which one was it and how did it come out?

Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins
Recipe from King Arthur

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup diced pecans
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons soft butter

Filling
1/2 cup Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix*
3 to 4 tablespoons water

*Or substitute 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for the Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix and water.

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons Signature Secrets(r) Culinary Thickener or cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it lightly.

Prepare the topping by mixing the ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Prepare the filling by mixing the Baker's Cinnamon Filling with enough water to make filling with a soft, pudding-like consistency. Set it aside.

To make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, stirring just until combined.

Divide half the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Dollop 2 teaspoons cinnamon filling onto each muffin, then top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with topping, pressing it in lightly.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool. Yield: 12 muffins.