Because bread is fine but muffins are better...

Another Saturday morning - another chance to make muffins. My initial plan was to make this recipe into bread to enjoy on Sunday morning, but I had helpers and we wanted to enjoy the fruits of our labor sooner than the next day - so we went with muffins. These muffins were so good. They were amazing later that day, the next day, and even another day after that... then they were gone. The cinnamon layer makes them even better, it's thick and sweet and has that cinnamon-y goodness I was hoping for. I was pretty surprised by such a light cake/bread/whatever the baked part is, it was so fluffy and soft. I'm excited to try this recipe in a loaf form, even if we don't make the loaf? The muffins are a true winner.

Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread or Muffins

Cinnamon Swirl
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Vanilla icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (sift after measuring)
2–3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional: pinch of salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
Cinnamon Swirl: Mix the 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon together.
Bread: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar together until combined. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk to completely combine. Avoid over-mixing. You will have about 3 cups of batter.
Pour/spread half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle almost all of the cinnamon sugar evenly on top (reserve about 2 Tablespoons for topping). It’s a very thick layer of cinnamon sugar. Carefully pour/spread remaining batter evenly on top. The top layer of batter will want to stick to the cinnamon sugar filling, making spreading a little tougher to do, but use a spoon to carefully spread it out as best you can. Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Using a knife, make a large swirl down the loaf pan, as shown in the video tutorial above. Avoid over-swirling, which will mix the layers together too much.
Bake the bread for 50 minutes to 1 hour, covering loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Oven times will vary between ovens. My bread usually takes 55 minutes. Cool bread completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
Drizzle with icing, if using. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. You will need a 2nd pan for 2 additional muffins as this recipe yields around 14. (Or bake in batches.) Prepare cinnamon swirl and batter in steps 2 + 3. Spoon batter evenly into liners, filling each halfway. Sprinkle each with a heaping spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Top with more batter, filling to the top. Sprinkle each with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Use a knife to swirl the batter/cinnamon sugar in each. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-22 minutes, give or take. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.