Breakfast Pastries That Are Dangerously Delicious
Few things can beat treating yourself in the morning with a sweet or savory baked good. If that treat is freshly baked, even better. And there's no finer way to ensure that freshness than if you make it at home. Any one of the recipes you find below will put the breakfast pastry display cases of your most beloved chains to shame, and not just because you get a sense of accomplishment from making them yourself. There are one too many pitfalls with ordering breakfast from the Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks of the world, so why not just take breakfast into your own hands?
By firing up the oven at home and filling it with whatever you just whipped up, you'll be filling your home with some unforgettable aromas. With some patience, you'll be getting your hands on (and sinking your teeth into) delicious dishes that will convince you how wonderful it is to bake at home and to basically eat dessert for breakfast. Best of all, making any one of these is guaranteed to be cheaper in the long run than blowing part of a paycheck on the mass-market stuff.
Easy cinnamon rolls
Ooey, gooey, sweet, and chewy, cinnamon rolls covered in frosting are one of those breakfast pastries that can seem too heavy for their own good. But, a bite of one can easily change your mind. Especially with a recipe like this one, with its cream cheese frosting and fluffy rolls that require minimal prep. The best part is how easy it is to make them, whether you're a seasoned baker or trying to make them for the first time.
British scones
If you're not familiar with how good and freshly-baked British scones can be, we gently suggest that you get with the program and make this scone recipe as soon as possible. Take it from that time singer-songwriter Anne-Marie said she didn't know what a scone was on The Great Celebrity Bake Off, generating shock from fans. Some may think British scones are dry compared to their American counterparts, but that's very debatable. Anyway, this is where a heap of clotted cream and your favorite fruit jam comes in after just under a half-hour of prep and baking.
Blueberry muffins
When it comes to home-baked blueberry muffins, it seems like everyone and their dog has a recipe kicking around that they'll swear by. This blueberry muffin recipe sets itself apart from the pack, however, with a few new angles. The first is a basic — but often forgotten — tip to coat fresh blueberries in flour. This keeps them from sinking down to the bottom of your muffin batter. The second is the incorporation of a crumbled streusel topping, which gives the muffins a sweet, textural boost. Lastly, the fruit can be swapped out with darn near anything, so you can make these muffins with whatever is fresh and in season.
Coffee cake
Have your cake and eat it too... for breakfast, anyway. A slice of this American-style coffee cake recipe is perfect for breakfast because it dials down the sweetness compared to the average cake, despite its cinnamon streusel topping and powdered sugar glaze. However, it's just sweet enough to pair with a robust cup of coffee or tea — hence the name. The recipe also yields a tidy nine portions, and that leaves plenty to share with others (or not).
Easy banana muffins
Why does banana bread get all of the attention when it comes to banana-based baked goods? While a slice is satisfying, muffins have the advantage of transportability, and that makes them an easy grab-and-go option. Trust that these banana bread muffins will be just as moist and satisfying, too. The incorporation of Greek yogurt keeps them soft and fresh well after they come out of the oven. Feel free to add in chocolate chunks, nuts, or any other of a wide array of add-ins, too.
Copycat Starbucks pumpkin scones
Come morning, do you really want to leave your place in the morning and stand in line at a coffee shop in order to get a drink and snack? Worse yet, once fall starts and the Pumpkin Spice Latte is on the menu at Starbucks, those lines only get longer. So, why not make yourself a fresh pumpkin scone at home with this copycat recipe? They're surprisingly easy to make and ought to scratch whatever itch you have for that perfect autumnal blend of spices.
No-bake oatmeal cookies
Just as good for breakfast as they are for dessert, these no-bake oatmeal cookies make for satisfying snacks that don't require firing up an oven. If you're wondering why you'd ever want to avoid baking an oven, first consider the ease of making cookies simply by leaving them in the fridge. It's also a perfect technique to use during heat waves in the summer. With their blend of almond butter, raisins, and oatmeal, this recipe's cookies make for a quick energy-filled snack.
Apple cinnamon muffins
Come autumn, minds may jump to eating something with pumpkin spice, but it's just as seasonally delicious to eat blends of apple and cinnamon. This muffin recipe is perfect just for that, packing in fresh diced apple and cinnamon both inside and on top of the final baked product. It's well-suited for just about any variety of apples that you prefer. Made in 30 minutes, these muffins ought to last you a while for breakfast snacking.
Zucchini walnut bread with lemon glaze
Zucchini doesn't always scream "breakfast", but zucchini bread like this is going to change all of that. You'd be surprised what you're capable of making with zucchini. This bread smells good, it tastes good, and darn it, it even looks good, too. It comes with a sleek and fresh lemon glaze on top of silky sweet bread with the crunch of walnuts that have been added into the mix.
Copycat Cinnabon cinnamon rolls
Far from just a guilty pleasure while you're stuck in an airport terminal between flights, Cinnabon's cinnamon buns are really more like a warm hug in pastry form. They're even better, however, if you make some for yourself. Once you take a bite out of one of these soft, squishy rolls smothered in a creamy glaze, you will never look at your baking skills the same way again. Just be sure to enjoy them responsibly and try to avoid eating the whole batch yourself.
Pumpkin bread
If you're one of those people who practically foam at the mouth come autumn for a taste of pumpkin spice-flavored anything, you're going to love having this pumpkin bread recipe in your seasonal arsenal. If you're not, well — it won't be long before you're converted by a bite of this delicious bread. Soft and aromatic, it's a simple pastry that can make for a great treat for breakfast. It's also completely customizable with a whole gamut of ingredients that can be tossed in as an ingredient or a topping, from toasted coconut to seeds and nuts.
Breakfast crumpets
Provided you have a stand mixer and some rings to bake in, you're already halfway to making some solid breakfast crumpets, which you can then smother with butter and gobble up in the morning. It's important to remember that making picture-perfect crumpets takes practice, however. Don't expect your first batch to look fantastic. It's normal for it to take a couple of tries to make them look their best, but remember that you can always enjoy eating your early crumpet attempts along the way.
Copycat PopTarts
The thing about PopTarts is that eating a pack of two never seems to be enough. In fact, no matter how many you consume, they never seem to live up to the commercials' depiction of them, complete with fruit filling oozing from the warm pastry shell. That's where this dynamite copycat PopTart recipe comes in. This recipe has all the trappings of the original product, but it takes things up a notch by essentially turning the pastries into mini pies that can be filled with just about any filling you want.
Cookie butter banana bread
Inspired by peanut butter banana bread, this version makes use of the pantry staple of cookie butter. If that ingredient sounds tantalizing but is unfamiliar, you most likely know what it tastes like without knowing it. Made from ground-up Belgian cookies called speculoos, they essentially have a similar flavor profile to gingerbread cookies and are enjoyed at the same time of year as gingerbread. Now imagine those flavors in a loaf of banana bread. Sounds good, right?
Buttermilk biscuits
Proper dry scones as they're made in Britain are one thing, but sometimes, you have to admit that there are occasions where nothing can beat a soft, buttery American biscuit. Once you whip up a batch of this buttermilk biscuit recipe in the morning and slather them with some sweet jam or good sausage gravy, you won't look twice at any café's pastry selection, knowing that you can make better back at home. So long as your ingredients are fresh, you'll knock this recipe out of the park.
Costco copycat chocolate muffins
We've all walked through the bakery section of a Costco and marveled at their stupendously large muffins. You have even fantasized about buying some but then figured that you couldn't finish a pallet of them before they go bad. But why not think of them as an on-demand thing you can bake fresh for yourself for breakfast? Copycat Costco muffins aren't as hard to make as you think, and the only real specialized equipment you'll need is the jumbo muffin tin, to get the same gigantic effect. If you don't have one handy, a regular-sized muffin tin will work just fine, too.
3-ingredient banana bread
You may be thinking how little time you have to make pastries, between measuring ingredients, mixing everything, assembling pastries, and so on. If time and ease are your ultimate baking considerations, you should bookmark this recipe for three-ingredient banana bread. All you'll need is some banana, sweetened condensed milk, and self-rising flour to make this pastry. Assembly is as simple as mash, mix, and bake. With a cooking time of 45 minutes, it may not be the fastest bake time out there, but it's stupendously easy and delicious, too.
Copycat Starbucks pumpkin bread
When it comes to coffee shop chains we know and love, Starbucks is up there with the best of them. Thing is, daily trips to Starbucks for frappuccinos and lattés, not to mention an occasional snack, can weigh on a wallet pretty heavily. That's what makes this recipe for a convincing copycat Starbucks pumpkin bread is so great. It's tasty, it's got the right aroma, and it's leagues cheaper than the original.