These homemade butter rum muffins are moist and tender, loaded with plenty of gooey butterscotch chips, and so easy to make! The tasty butter muffins are just the thing to kick off your morning for breakfast or to enjoy as a snack in the afternoon.

Homemade hot buttered rum muffins
There’s nothing better than homemade muffins, still warm from the oven! Though I love the classics like blueberry or banana, every once in a while, I crave muffins that are a bit different – like these buttered rum muffins.
And let me tell you, these buttery muffins are oh-so-good! They have the most tender, moist crumb ever and are studded with ripples of butterscotch chips and literally injected with rum. Plus, you can have them in your belly in under half an hour.
Looking for more easy muffin recipes? Try some of our favorites like pistachio muffins, blackberry muffins, and these mini chocolate chip muffins.

What are buttered rum muffins?
Buttered rum muffins are fluffy muffins, infused with the sweet aromas of butter and rum and loaded with butterscotch chips. I’m not sure who invented them, but they are a popular bakery flavor.
Hot buttered rum is a drink that originated in colonial America. The cocktail was made by adding a shot of aged rum, sugar or maple syrup, and a knob of butter to a mug and then filling it up with hot water.

Ingredients
The ingredients for rum butter muffins are all pretty basic. If you’ve got butterscotch chips and some rum or rum extract, I bet you have everything else you need in your pantry as well!
- Butter: Some bakers prefer baking muffins with vegetable oil, but I like salted butter. Melted butter creates a delicious buttery aroma and soft crumb that will stay soft for days. Unsalted butter with 1/2 tsp fine salt will work as well.
- Golden rum (amber rum) gives the muffins their signature flavor and has a sweeter and richer taste than white or silver rum. See below for a variation with rum extract.
- Butterscotch chips introduce a delectable caramel note that blends perfectly with the rum and butter. You can also use a mix of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips if preferred.
- All-purpose flour is all you need to make tall and domed muffins. When measuring with cups, be sure to level and spoon so you don’t end up with too much flour in your batter.
- Sugar: The muffins will tempt your sweet tooth thanks to light brown sugar in the batter and sprinkled on top for those bakery-style muffin tops.
- Milk adds the perfect amount of moisture. I used whole milk, but skim is fine too. Be sure to use room temperature milk because the muffins won’t rise as much with cold milk from the fridge.
- Eggs bind everything together. Like the milk, your eggs should be at room temp. If you forgot to put the eggs out in time, put them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to warm them up.
- Vanilla extract: I love muffins with a dash of vanilla extract to create a warming, homey aroma.
- Baking powder gives these butter muffins the very best texture. Bake soda isn’t suitable for this recipe because it contains no acidic ingredients.
Butter rum muffins with rum extract
To make the recipe with rum extract, use 1 1/4 cups milk + 2 tsp rum extract. When skipping the rum, you need to compensate for the volume difference. Hence, add an extra 1/4 cup milk.
By the way, there’s no need to worry about alcohol in rum butter muffins. Alcohol is volatile and evaporates during baking. The finished muffins contain zero alcohol, only the rum aroma remains.

How to make butter rum muffins
These buttered rum muffins are a breeze to mix together. The prep work won’t take you more than 10 to 15 minutes. And then you just have to (im)patiently wait for the muffins to be done.
#1: Prep for baking
- Adjust a rack in the center of the oven and preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C / gas mark 5.
- Line a regular-sized muffin pan with paper liners, or grease well with cooking spray, and set aside.
#2: Combine dry ingredients
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt (if using unsalted butter) to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
#3: Combine wet ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and melted butter.
- Whisk in the milk, rum, and vanilla extract until the mixture looks pale.
#4: Make batter
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir together until just combined, and the flour streaks are mostly incorporated.
#5: Stir butterscotch chips
- Carefully stir in the butterscotch chips. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
#6: Fill pan
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner with 4 generous tablespoons.
- Then add a few butterscotch chips on the top of each muffin and sprinkle with extra sugar, if desired.
#7: Bake
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes.
- The muffins are done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, with only a few crumbs and melted butterscotch chips but no liquid batter.
#8: Cool
- Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before moving the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
#9: Serve
- Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature.
- Optionally, brush with a little melted butter before enjoying.

Tips for success
Muffins are pretty straightforward as far as baked goods go, but if you want perfect butter rum muffins every time, I rounded up my best tips!
- Room temperature ingredients: Make sure that cold ingredients like eggs and milk are at room temperature, so they incorporate fully into the batter.
- Mix the batter until just combined. If you over-mix the batter, you could risk overworking the gluten, which will result in dense, gummy muffins.
- Fill the muffin pan: The recipe instructs to fill each muffin cup with 4 tablespoons batter, which seems a lot. Please trust the process. This is the correct amount to get these tall, domed muffin tops. I used a 1-tablespoon cookies scoop to fill the pan with batter.
- Baking time: To ensure this butter muffin recipe turns out rich and fudgy, with a light and fluffy texture, don’t overbake the muffins. Each oven cooks differently, so It’s important to keep an eye on the baking time.
- Check doneness: To test that they are done, insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin. When it comes out clean with just a few crumbs remaining, take the pan out.

Butter muffin variations
- Chocolate chips: The recipe calls for butterscotch chips. But if you prefer milk, semisweet, or white chocolate, you can easily substitute those, or try a combination of them.
- Streusel topping: For a quick streusel topping, add 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 tbsp melted butter, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to a small mixing bowl. Combine with a fork until clumpy. Sprinkle over the muffin tops and bake as described.
- Nuts: For a nice crunch, add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Cinnamon rum muffins: Stir 2 tsp ground cinnamon into muffin batter and bake as instructed.
- Amaretto muffins: Swap out the rum for the same amount amaretto. Alternatively, use 1 to 2 tsp bitter almond extract.
- Rum chocolate muffins: Replace 1/4 cup flour with 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Eggnog muffins: Substitute half of the milk with 1/2 cup eggnog. You can use store-bought or try our homemade condensed milk eggnog.

Storage instructions
- Room temperature: Butterscotch muffins can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerated, the muffins will last for a week. Rewarm in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up and give them that “fresh from the oven” taste.
- Freezer: Baked butter rum muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Arrange the muffins on a baking tray and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer the frozen muffins into a freezer bag and freeze.
- Thaw: Defrost overnight in the fridge (or on the counter for 1 to 2 hours), then reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.
Making buttered rum muffins ahead of time
These rum butter muffins taste just as good, if not better the next day. So you can make them 1 day in advance, but I wouldn’t go much further than that.

Equipment for this butter muffin recipe
- Mixing bowls: I love that this set includes 3 different sizes and is very durable.
- Cookie scoop is great to scoop muffin batter into the pans.
- Muffin pan: This muffin tin works great, and I use it all the time.
- Paper liners ensure that the muffs come out easily and don’t stick.



Butter Rum Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 360 g / 12.7 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup / 115 g / 4 oz salted butter melted, slightly cooled (or unsalted butter + 1/2 tsp salt)
- 1 cup / 200 g / 5.3 oz light brown sugar (plus more for sprinkling, optional)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature (US, CA, AUS & NZ: L / UK & Europe: M)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup / 240 ml / 8.3 fl oz milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml / 2 fl oz golden rum* (see note below)
- 1 12-oz bag / 340 g / 2 cups butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prep for baking. Adjust a rack in the center of the oven and preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C / gas mark 5. Line a regular-sized muffin pan with paper liners, or grease well with cooking spray, and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt (if using unsalted butter) to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk in the milk, rum, and vanilla extract until the mixture looks pale.
- Make batter. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir together until just combined, and the flour streaks are mostly incorporated.
- Stir butterscotch chips. Carefully stir in the butterscotch chips. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
- Fill pan. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner with 4 generous tablespoons. Then add a few butterscotch chips on the top of each muffin and sprinkle with extra sugar, if desired.
- Bake. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, with only a few crumbs and melted butterscotch chips but no liquid batter.
- Cool. Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before moving the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve. Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature. Optionally, brush with a little melted butter before serving.
Notes
*Butter rum muffins with rum extract
To make the recipe with rum extract, use 1 1/4 cups milk + 2 tsp rum extract. When skipping the rum, you need to compensate for the volume difference. Hence, add an extra 1/4 cup milk.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 166mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 5g
This post was first published in December 2021 and has been updated with new content in Septemer 2022.