Turn your kids’ favorite breakfast cereal into Cinnamon Toast Crunch cupcakes for a decadent dessert that everyone will love!
Look, we all love those chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. They’re classics. But when you serve up a treat like this, everyone clamors for it because it’s so out of the box.
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What they won’t know is that it all starts with a box. A box mix to be exact. And from a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, you can make this sweet vanilla and cinnamon-flavored cupcakes that have that perfect balance of flavor.
They’re perfect for any party, holiday, or gathering. And if you always find that the kids leave behind a crushed-up bunch of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal at the bottom of the bag, you will no longer have to waste it.
Topped off with a fabulous finish of rich cinnamon drizzle, they look like they came from a bakery rather than a box mix. Make these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes and be THAT mom, the one who makes the desserts that everyone wants to eat!
If you love cinnamon rolls, you’re going to want to try these air fryer cinnamon rolls.
Make Your Own Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes
These Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes are incredibly easy to make, even if you’ve never really baked a thing before in your life. You’ll preheat your oven and add cupcake liners to your muffin tin.
Then you’ll add the boxed cake mix, water, oil, and eggs to a large mixing bowl and hit it with your mixer until well incorporated. You’ll fold in most of the crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch, reserving the rest for dusting the tops of the cupcakes later.
Next, you’ll pour your batter into the lined muffin tin, filling only 2/3 full to get those perfect cupcakes. Once they bake for 18 to 20 minutes, you’ll set them to cool completely.
The frosting is easy too. You’ll use your mixer again to cream the butter until light and fluffy, then add the vanilla and salt. After that, you’ll slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, adding a tablespoon of cream between each cup, doing so until this is all creamy. Put it in the piping bag and frost your cupcakes.
Be aware that depending on your location, you may not be able to find those cinnamon chips to make the drizzle. That’s ok though since you can simply finish them off with the remainder of the crushed cereal which will still look and taste amazing.
The recipe steps follow in greater detail below so be sure to check those out before you start baking!
Don’t have the cereal? You can try these easy cinnamon cupcakes.
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- ¾ cup water
- 1/3 cup cooking oil
- 4 large eggs
- Cupcake liners
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- 1 large piping bag, 1 large round frosting tip
Drizzle Ingredients:
- *1/3 cup Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips
- ½ tablespoon milk
Directions for Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line a standard muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl filled with the cake mix, add the water, oil, and eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on medium until well incorporated.
- Fold in ¾ cup of the crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
- Add batter into the muffin tin until each is about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cooling completely before frosting.
Directions for Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, while adding in a tablespoon of the cream in between each cup. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until creamy.
- Fill your prepared piping bag with frosting. Frost your cupcakes.
Directions for the Drizzle:
- In a small bowl, add the cinnamon chips and milk. Heat at 50% power for 25 seconds. Stir. If the chips are not completely melted, repeat.
- Drizzle the mixture over the frosted cupcakes. Top with a bit of the crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. Enjoy! Makes 24 cupcakes.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- ¾ cup water
- 1/3 cup cooking oil
- 4 large eggs
- Cupcake liners
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- 1 large piping bag, 1 large round frosting tip
Drizzle Ingredients:
- *1/3 cup Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips
- ½ tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line a standard muffin tin.
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl filled with the cake mix, add the water, oil, and eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on medium until well incorporated.
- Step 2: Fold in ¾ cup of the crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
- Step 3: Add batter into the muffin tin until each is about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cooling completely before frosting.
- Steps 4-5: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Step 6: Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, while adding a tablespoon of the cream in between each cup. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until creamy.
- Steps 6-7: Fill your prepared piping bag with frosting. Frost your cupcakes.
- Step 8: In a small bowl, add the cinnamon chips and milk. Heat at 50% power for 25 seconds. Stir. If the chips are not completely melted, repeat.
- Step 9: Drizzle the mixture from Step 8 over the frosted cupcakes. Top with a bit of the crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. Enjoy! Makes 24 cupcakes.
Notes
*If you can’t find the cinnamon chips, you can skip these steps 8 and 9.