Preheat the oven to 225ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, use your hands or 2 forks to work the mixture together.

Use your hands to squeeze and press the mixture until it comes together into a soft dough.

Transfer the dough to a lined baking sheet. Press or roll it out into a thin, even layer, about ¼-inch thick.

Bake for 30–35 minutes. The mixture will not change much in appearance, but will look a little more melted and less granular. The mixture will still be soft. Allow it to cool completely, it will harden as it cools.

Use a knife to cut the cinnamon slab into small squares. This recipe will yield about 1.5 cups.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 ¼ cups of cinnamon chips, save ¼ cup cinnamon chips for the tops of the muffins. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.

In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, melted & cooled butter, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick!

Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.

For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top! Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Press additional cinnamon chips on top of the muffins and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.